Of LPG backlogs, bandhs/blockades & transport bottlenecks
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: January 13 2016 -

We are happy that The Sangai Express’ exclusive campaign on LPG refill distribution, irregularities, difficulties of distributors, grievances of consumers and associated issues is not totally fruitless, if not 100 per cent successful.

In fact, we are able to sensitize thousands of LPG consumers and scores of LPG distributors on these issues. This is our humble achievement.

This may be sheer coincidence that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has declared 2016 as the Year of LPG. Along with it, two online discussion forums – Citizen-Friendly Services and Increasing LPG Coverage in the Country – have been launched and are available on myGov.in and mylpg.in so as to solicit suggestions and complaints about LPG distribution in the country.

Valuable suggestions/comments are welcome and will be considered for improving the customer oriented services related to LPG coverage and delivery, said an official statement issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

Moreover, the Ministry has launched a round the clock emergency helpline for all LPG consumers of the country.

1906 is the helpline number and it is a call-centre based service, available all over India to all LPG customers of the three public sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

The centralized emergency service cell (ESC) is operational through a call centre operating 24×7 to attend to LPG leakage calls.

The helpline offers services in nine vernacular languages apart from Hindi and English. This is indeed quite commendable.

The call center is also equipped with a setup for outbound calls for contacting mechanics/distributors and oil company officials, claimed the Ministry.

Though customers can access the ESC only through voice calls, the call centre is equipped with a web-based application for logging and viewing complaints.

The portal houses an exhaustive data on the contact details of all LPG distributors, emergency service mechanics, and field officers, across the OMCs.

The LPG area in-charges of the three OMCs have been provided access to the portal to constantly monitor call logs, and update contact details of the mechanic and field officers on a regular basis.

This is the changing scenario at the national level regarding LPG distribution and associated problems.

In Manipur too, many changes have been taking place with the IOC investing maximum efforts to streamline LPG distribution in the State.

Reports say that the Sekmai bottling plant has been working overtime on alternate days without sparing even Sundays.

It has also been reported that movement of bulk LPG transporters has been enhanced with the number of vehicles moving in a single convoy enlarged from 50 up to 100.

In addition, IOC and the State Government have been working hand in hand to introduce online booking from February 15.

In a nutshell, we can summarise that things are improving for the better.

As it has been rightly pointed out, IOC would be totally helpless when the law and order situation interferes in bulk transportation of LPG.

If the State does not take care of the law and order situation, all the efforts to streamline LPG distribution and clear backlogs would be rendered futile.

Another major problem is transport bottlenecks. The Governments, both at Imphal and New Delhi, should take note that landslides have become quite regular on both the National Highways connecting Manipur with other parts of the country.

Even if landslides are presumed as natural phenomenon, bandhs and blockades are definitely not.

In addition to plugging in all loopholes and rectifying all anomalies plaguing refill delivery system, both the IOC and the State need to take care of the twin scourges represented by bandhs/blockades and transport bottlenecks.

Otherwise all the efforts would go in vain, and the backlogs in LPG distribution would only multiply.