Whip cracked against multiple connection
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 29 2016:
The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has initiated due process to identify and take up necessary actions against households which have been enjoying multiple LPG connections and subsidies given therein.
According to a source in the IOC's Imphal Divisional Retail Sales Office, it is illegal for a single household to have multiple LPG connections.
Households enjoying multiple LPG connections and subsidies given therein should surrender their second and/or third connections to the LPG distributors concerned or the IOC's sales officer a the earliest.
It would be far better for such households to surrender their secondary connections to the authority honourably rather than waiting for the authority to detect as it may entail many complications.
Under the rules and norms currently in vogue, after the expiry of a man or woman, his/her LPG connection can be transferred to the surviving spouse or their son or daughter free of cost.
Meanwhile, more and more consumers have joined the demand for IOC to instruct LPG distributors to display the details of money charged for new LPG connections at their cash counters or notice boards.
It is said that the IOC has already instructed distributors to display item-wise price list charged at the time of new connections.
The IOC issued this instruction during their latest joint meeting with LPG distributors held this month.
On the other hand, a member of the All Manipur Indane Distributors' Association maintained that they have been displaying item-wise price list for new connections inside their offices since the past.
The item-wise price lists were not displayed outside as they may get washed out or erased very quickly, he added.
IOC LPG sales officers and LPG distributors have also started considering about charging a uniform rate for new LPG connections across all distributors of the State.
In some States, new LPG connection rates charged by distributors is somewhat higher than the rate fixed by IOC.
In Manipur too, there are certain compelling reasons for distributors to fix the connection charge a little higher than the IOC's rate.
Nonetheless, negotiations are going to keep the connection charge as close to the IOC's rate as possible.
At the same time, LPG distributors are not in a position to enter the exact amount of money taken from consumers in the cash memos issued to them.
There must be a negotiated settlement on the matter, said the member of the LPG distributors' association.