VELLORE: Amid concerns over commercial gas cylinder shortage owing to the Israel-Iran conflict, Vellore Collector VR Subbulaxmi urged oil marketing companies (OMCs), including Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), to submit daily reports to the district administration on LPG cylinder stock, sales, and bookings. She was speaking at a consultative meeting with representatives from OMCs and gas distributors in the district on Wednesday.
A WhatsApp group will be created under the leadership of the District Supply Officer (DSO), where LPG distributors should regularly share information related to supply, Subbulaxmi said.
Strict action would be taken against those who hoard or sell LPG cylinders at higher prices. "The Civil Supplies CID and Taluk Supply Officers (TSOs) must monitor the misuse of domestic LPG cylinders for commercial purposes, seize such cylinders and register cases," she said. She added that concerned officials must conduct surprise inspections in LPG godowns and report any irregularities.
At the meeting, OMC representatives said that the situation is under control with no shortage reported at present. However, they said, there has been a trend of panic booking in the last 24 hours, following news reports of a cooking gas shortage. "There were 25% additional bookings for domestic cylinders yesterday, due to which there are some technical glitches in the system, which are now being rectified," said a representative from the IOCL, which owns the majority of LPG connections (3,15,758) in the district.
An HPCL from Pernambut said that as of now, supply from the nearest gas bottling plant is functioning well. However, once the supply to the bottling plant stops, it will be a cause of concern.
Some participants pointed out the delay in supplying domestic cylinders. Subbulaxmi urged the distributors to ensure there are no such delays in the coming days.
According to the data shared by the district administration, there are 4,89,497 LPG connections in Vellore, of which 4,88,358 are household connections, and 1,139 are commercial connections (schools, hostels, hospitals, hotels, industries, etc.).