The distribution system of LPG is something amazing. When the government announced restriction on the numbers of cylinders a customer is entitled in a year all in Manipur were quite surprised. People in Manipur get about four cylinders in a year. They have to buy the rest in black market. The distributors expressed inability to increase the quota as they are not getting adequate stock. But how come cylinders are available plenty in the black market. This is one question no one is able to answer . As the query remains unreplied those affected by it are the people and those benefitted by it are those involved in black marketing. Whose responsibility is it to rein in the bad men ? The government agencies have to be activated and compelled to work for the people and search for the answers to the various queries raised by the people specially the poor. Issuance of new connection is something never done in the open. If one applies through normal process one will never get the opportunity but if someone applies through back door, he will get it. There are two many problems to be ironed out. The consumers are forced to pay a huge amount of money without receipt and should buy a gas stove sold by the distributor. If one says no then one will never get a new connection. We sometimes wonder if the Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Veerapa Moily is aware of the problem. Moily had already stated that the decisions on the issue is not a political one, it is an administrative move. Government had raised the price of heavily subsidised diesel to rein in its fiscal deficit and counter the threat of becoming the first of the big emerging economies to be downgraded to junk.
It also decided to limit the number of subsidised cooking gas cylinders per household to six per year, a move seen as hitting the poor hard. Any cylinder bought over this ceiling will be at market rates, which could almost double the price. Whatever be the politics behind the system at least ensure that whatever is doled out reaches the beneficiaries.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/lpg-distribution-system/
