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Supply of LPG refills under strain
in demand: Consumption of LPG by households is set to increase in the months ahead.
CHENNAI: Cooking gas refill supplies by oil marketing companies in the city have come under strain. Distributors of the companies say refills are being supplied to customers almost a month from the eligible date of booking.
Sources among distributors of Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd attribute the delay to attempts by the companies to cut down on the number of loads.
The companies are seeking to reduce their under-recoveries on the sale of 14.2-kg cylinders.
Officials of the companies deny this and say they are focussed on curbing diversion of the heavily subsidised product.
The delay is also on account of the onset of the festive season and the change in climatic conditions. The consumption of households picks up from September and peaks during the third quarter of the year. It remains high till late January.
An official of IOC says the situation is not similar across all distributorships; there are some who are supplying refills within a few days after the mandatory gap of 21 days between two supplies.
BPCL distributors said, residents of Royapuram staged a protest recently seeking early issue of refill cylinders.“They are used to getting the cylinders within a couple of days … if the supplies are made after a week or more [after the 21-day gap] they get agitated,” a distributor said.
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