CHENNAI: Though the waiting period for domestic LPG cylinder refills across Tamil Nadu has eased up relatively – some areas in Chennai, especially households with a single cylinder are not out of the woods yet.
Some Chennai areas such as Thuraipakkam, Karapakkam, Sholinganallur, Korattur, Old Washermenpet and Tondiarpet, are facing delays of at least 15 days, unlike most regions in Tamil Nadu, where the waiting period is witnessing a reduction from approximately 20 days to nearly 10 days. This has resulted in a gap of nearly 45 days between two orders for single-cylinder households.
Single-cylinder domestic users have urged authorities to allow purchase of an additional cylinder if delivery is not made within seven days of booking. Even though government guidelines suggest a 25-day interval between bookings, orders are registered in the system after 30 or 31 days.
After registration, it typically takes another 7-10 days to receive a one-time password (OTP), followed by at least another week for delivery, leading many customers to buy cylinders directly from agency offices.
R Saravanan, a resident of Sholinganallur, emphasised on the need for government intervention to prioritise deliveries for single-cylinder users, suggesting that consumers be allowed to purchase an additional cylinder if agencies fail to deliver on time.
Another resident from Korattur shared similar frustrations, calling for a reduction in the minimum booking gap for single-cylinder households to 10 days. Officials at Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) say that approximately 5,00,000 cylinders are supplied daily and that deliveries usually occur within seven days.
Officials from the food and civil supplies department reported that the waiting time has come down to about seven days in most areas, with additional commissioner-level officers deployed to oversee LPG supply. V C Ashokan, the state-level coordinator for oil marketing companies in Tamil Nadu, claimed that the average delivery time now is under five days in most places, while areas experiencing backlogs are being closely observed.
However, challenges persist in other regions like Madurai, where residents report that deliveries now take more than 20 days, affecting households in localities such as Muthupatti, Palanganatham, and Jaihindpuram. In areas like East Madurai, residents have switched to using electric stoves to mitigate their reliance on LPG due to prolonged delivery times.
In Tenkasi district’s Alangulam, residents can book a new order only after the mandatory 25-day gap, creating difficulties especially during festivals or gatherings when they run out of cylinders.
In Dharmapuri, residents like K Gopal Kesavan reported an easing of the situation, with authorities now prioritising single-cylinder households, despite still having to adhere to the 30-day booking rule.
The waiting period for refills in Tiruchy remains steady at around 10 days, while the situation has improved in Tiruppur and Erode, with residents saying the deliveries are in time, within a week or even less.
In Coimbatore, some customers have received their cylinders in just four days, indicating that while some areas face difficulties, others manage to avoid significant crises in the supply. In contrast to the domestic supply challenges, the delivery of commercial LPG cylinders for hotels, restaurants, and industries has seen a significant increase.
Many eateries that previously limited their menu options have now resumed full operations, and tea stalls have also reverted from induction stoves to using LPG cylinders.
(With inputs from Thinakaran Rajamani @ Tirunelveli, Jevin Selwyn Henry @ Dharmapuri, Vivanesh Parthiban @ Tiruchy and P Srinivasan @ Tiruppur)
As predicted, centre hiked prices after conclusion of polls: Stalin
Chennai: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday alleged that as predicted before the polls, the BJP-led union government has raised LPG prices immediately after the elections concluded.
Demanding an immediate rollback, the CM said the move would hurt small businesses and the public. In a social media post, Stalin pointed out that when global crude oil prices fell, the benefit was not passed on to the public.
He further alleged that the centre was now citing the West Asia conflict as an excuse for the hike, without considering the burden it would place on people.
Stating that the price rise would affect livelihoods, Stalin urged the centre to assess its impact and sought an immediate rollback. Echoing similar concerns, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K Selvaperunthagai said the companies could not have made the decision without the centre’s approval. Pointing out that the hike would push up food prices, he too urged the centre to prioritise public welfare.
