The centre government order limiting the number of subsidized domestic gas cylinders per family has triggered severe crisis in the LPG market in Kashmir. With state government doffing the mantle of a welfare state and failing to seek any relaxation in this regard from the centre, the consumers in the Valley genuinely feel let down. Even as some may cite the limited role the state government could possibly have played in seeking any relaxation on subsidized LPG from the petroleum ministry for J&K, yet the state authorities have been completely inactive, to say the least, on certain important issues, where a timely action could really have alleviated the condition of the hapless consumers. There are, for example, just 47 LPG dealers in Kashmir catering to a whopping 10 lakh families. The oil companies catering to Kashmir market have allegedly in connivance with these dealers disallowed any increase in their number over the years. Had the state authorities stepped in at the appropriate time and ensured a gradual increase in the number of dealers to keep pace with the rising number of consumers, today we won’t find chaos in the LPG market. A dealer catering to 2000 to 3000 consumers as against the present proportion which is one dealer to almost 25000 consumers, would have made it easier for all seasons to the consumers to get the commodity with ease.  If this is something that could now be worked for future only, here is something that the government can do immediately. It can direct the existing LPG dealers or the oil companies itself to increase their verification counters in different parts of the Valley so that people are not forced to shun all their assignments to stand in the long queues outside gas agencies to get their documents verified. It is unfortunate that the authorities are playing indifferent to the plight of the consumers.  It is quite bizarre that even those consumers who as per the orders of the government have got their LPG documents verified are denied home delivery. Is anybody listening?

Lastupdate on : Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 16 Oct 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 17 Oct 2012 00:00:00 IST