BHUBANESWAR: Cracking down on unscrupulous activities and hoarding of LPG, the state Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare department has intensified raids across districts to ensure smooth supply of the cooking gas cylinders to consumers. The department also appealed people to refrain from panic booking and making beeline near depots to receive gas cylinders.
Officials said enforcement teams comprising the executive magistrate, police and civil supplies personnel conducted raids at multiple retail points in Deogarh town and Tileibani block of the district to prevent the misuse of domestic LPG cylinders at commercial establishments. The Nuapada administration has also launched an exercise for regular verification of stock and distribution.
Joint raid by civil supplies officials and the district administration also led to seizure of around 10 cylinders in Titilagarh area of Balangir district on the day. The raids were conducted after authorities received information that LPG cylinders were being stored without authorisation.
Around 35 cylinders were also reportedly seized following a raid against illegal hoarding of cylinders in Barbil of Keonjhar district during the last 24 hours. Kendrapara district administration said joint teams of Revenue and Civil Supplies department conducted raids across the district in the presence of the sub-collector to curb illegal hoarding of LPG cylinders.
A gas depot under Garadpur tehsil was inspected in the presence of the ADM (general) to ensure adherence to norms and proper LPG distribution, while the district collector held a meeting with representatives of IOCL, HPCL and BPCL in the presence of the civil supplies officer to review gas distribution.
The Kendrapara administration directed all agencies to ensure proper monitoring and smooth supply of LPG to consumers in the district and warned that strict action will be taken against those hoarding cylinders.
Meanwhile, with cooking gas supply remaining irregular, around 60 to 70 households of Salia Sahi in Bhubaneswar, capital city’s largest slum, were seen making long queues with their empty cylinder near a road waiting for the arrival of the supply van. The households alleged that despite booking in advance, they are yet to be provided with cylinder.
Those running tiffin stalls in Satya Vihar, Rasulgarh areas of the city also rued about lack of adequate supply of cylinders. Similar allegations of short supply also surfaced in Cuttack and other parts of the state.