LPG crisis to be defused soon

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, Jul 27, 2010 : In order to relieve the growing crisis of domestic cooking gas (Liquid Petroleum Gas) across the state the General Manager of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), A Gandian will arrive in Tripura on July 29 next.

Official sources said, Gandian would attend a high level meeting with Chief Secretary SK Panda and officials of Food and Consumer Affairs department to solve the current crisis of petroleum products in the state.

He will also meet Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Food Minister Manik Dey during his six days state visit.

State Food Department sources said, Tripura government has been continuously demanding Union Petroleum Ministry’s concrete steps to ease the LPG crisis in the state.

To comply with the Tripura government’s demand the proposed visit of IOC’s General Manager is very significant and an encouraging step for consumers of Tripura, said a Food department official.

Giving details of the LPG crisis in Tripura, Food department said, there are over 2.5 lakh LPG consumers in the state and as per the guideline framed by IOC, the IOC should supply the cylinder at least for 60 percent of existing customers every month.

But, in Tripura IOC supply only 1, 31,580 cylinders instead of required 1, 56,060 LPG cylinders per month.

As a result state consumers suffer shortage of 24,480 cylinders every month.

The current LPG crisis has also reached its peak due to shortage of LPG Bullets during sudden closure of National Highway-44, said Food department.

Moreover, the state does not have any storage systems for LPG bullets, said Food department adding that the state government has been continuously demanding the expansion of Bishalgarh and Mohanpur LPG bottling plants and setting up of four more bottling plants in four districts of the state.

On the proposed meeting with IOC’s General Manager, the Food department will raise these demands including distribution of more new connections, setting up of gas distribution agencies in every subdivision and block headquarters of Tripura.