Residents of apartments where piped LPG is supplied are in a fix over the restriction on subsidised domestic LPG cylinders entitled annually.
Sticking to the rulebook, gas agencies have informed office-bearers of residents’ welfare associations of such apartments that only six subsidised cylinders would be supplied to them annually for the entire apartment complex. This is because technically an apartment complex where piped gas is supplied is treated as a “single LPG consumer”.
Until now, apartment residents’ welfare associations purchased unrestricted number of LPG cylinders and supplied it through copper pipelines to individual residents who were charged as per metered consumption. On an average, a cylinder can meet the cooking gas needs of 35 flats a day.
“We are forced to buy LPG at commercial rates. We can’t be penalised for living in a complex. Logically residents of each flat would be entitled to six subsidised cylinders a year,” points out N Nagarajan, secretary, Patteeswar Vigneshwar Avenue Apartments, Ramanathapuram.
“The LPG distributor’s association has already intimated these concerns to the Petroleum Ministry. We hope this would be thrashed out,” says B Rajendra, general secretary, All India HP Gas Distributor’s Association.