Drive against misuse of domestic LPG
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 20 2014: Many domestic LPG cylinders used for commercial purposes have been seized from different places of Imphal during a drive against misuse of domestic LPG today.

The drive was conducted today by a joint team of All Manipur Domestic LPG Consumers' Welfare Association, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and City police.

Illegal use of domestic LPG cylinders is punishable under Section 7 of Essential Commodities Act, 1955.Under this provision, any one found misusing domestic LPG cylinder can either be imprisoned for six months or fined or both.

Despite this, 14.2 kg LPG cylinders are being misused rampantly for commercial purposes in Manipur.

Rules permit commercial units to use only commercial LPG cylinders.

In line with this, the State Govt had already put a restriction on the use of domestic LPG cylinders by stall owners during the Sangai Festival slated to begin from Nov 21 .

Following an order to crack down on misuse of domestic LPG, the drive against illegal use of domestic LPG cylinders was conducted in Imphal today.

Many domestic LPG cylinders used in hotels, restaurants, etc were seized.

Cylinders which were hoarded were also seized.

Commercial LPG is generally priced at the range of Rs 1500 to Rs 1700 per cylinder while the actual price of domestic LPG is Rs 1093 per cylinder and the same is available at Rs 428.50 per cylinder after subsidy.

Due to the wide price difference, commercial establishments use domestic LPG.

This is one main reason for the rampant misuse of domestic LPG by commercial units.

The seized domestic LPG cylinders during the drive at various commercial places in Imphal today were handed over to the IOC authority.

A face-off took place between some hotel/restaurant owners and the joint team today.

In the face of such confrontations, the authority concerned needs to take immediate steps against the extensive illegal use of domestic LPG cylinders.

The urgent need to make commercial LPG cylinders available to these commercial units is also felt.

Taking a serious note of the rampant misuse of subsidised domestic LPG cylinders by commercial establishments, Jayenta Angomcha, president of All Manipur Domestic LPG Consumers' Welfare Association said that people of the State more often than not face artificial scarcity of domestic LPG due to misuse and frequent bandh and blockade along the highways.

He pointed out that hoarding of domestic LPG cylinders by commercial establishments at a time when households cannot procure nine filled LPG cylinders at subsidised rate for a year, is also a major cause for artificial scarcity of LPG in the State.

Saying that such practices are illegal, Jayenta said that woes of LPG scarcity will not be addressed unless the rampant misuse is tackled effectively by the authority concerned.

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