CHENNAI: With the process of registrations for the Direct Benefit Transfer for LPG (DBTL) picking up pace, the public and those manning the counters at the gas agencies are stumbling upon different kinds of issues.
Also Read: Trust Babus to Aggravate Your Aadhaar Mess
For starters, Form 3 and Form 4 meant for consumers not having Aadhaar have been printed on either side of the same page. Officials justified it as a measure to cut down on paper consumption. But many, like 40-year-old Venkatesan of Kodungaiyur, were not aware of this. “The agency did not inform me. I filled both sides and I’m now confused,” he said.
Second, the lack of space for attaching the copy of Aadhaar in Form 2 is a pain point. As a work around, a dealer in Mylapore said they were accepting photocopies and scanned copies attached or pinned with the form. “The form can be folded vertically so that the side with the photo is shown,” the dealer said.
Third, availability of forms continues to be a challenge. A senior official of Bharatgas said that their agencies have already been supplied with forms numbering 50 per cent of their consumer strength. “Already reports are coming in that forms are being sold for `5 at some places. People must know that forms are free of cost,” an official clarified.
Four, consumers still are scratching their heads over the 17-digit LPG ID required in the forms. For, the actual number of digits in IDs across oil marketing companies is actually less than 17. For example, Bharatgas has only eight. Officials said that they had started sending out text messages on the 17-digit IDs to registered mobile numbers. Dealers said that agency staff would help out. “This LPG ID would be there in their latest cash memo as well,” a dealer pointed out. It can also be obtained online from www.mylpg.in.
Five, a common query was regarding the matching of names in the LPG connection and bank account. “Phonetic variations will be accepted. For example Srinivasan and Sreenivasan is fine. But otherwise, it will be rejected,” said the Bharatgas official.
For their part, staffers at various agencies that handle approximately 10,000 consumers each, are putting in the hard yards even after closing time and not without reason. “Recognizing the scale of operation, each agency will be given `8 for registration of each consumer (Cash Transfer Compliance). This is being done to motivate them,” the official said. Agencies across Chennai confirmed this promise, though the payment would be made at a later date.