[ Manoj Singh ]
ITANAGAR, Feb 19: Taking note of the growing demand for LPG connection and the increasing number of LPG consumers in the capital and its adjoining areas, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Minister Kamlung Mosang has directed the officers of his department to place a proposal for six more gas agencies in the capital region.
Talking to this reporter, the minister said the population as well LPG consumers in the capital region is increasing rapidly because of rapid urbanization.
Informing that the capital has six gas agencies, the minister, however, said “there may be scarcity of LPG for the time being due to receipt of fewer consignments by the retailers. But distribution of gas cylinders to the consumers has not been halted.”
Mossang said he has directed the departmental and administrative officers “to streamline the system of gas distribution, so that the genuine consumers in long queues do not face problems in getting their cylinders refilled.”
When contacted, DFCSO Amit Bengia informed that the Kimin LPG bottling plant has a capacity to supply around eight LPG loaded trucks a day, “but the supply of LPG with 320 cylinders per truck is not enough compared to the growing demand for LPG in the capital complex.”
“The main reason for LPG shortfall is that, after the inauguration of the Bogibeel bridge over the Brahmaputra river, supply from Guwahati has been closed due to shifting of its office to Tinsukia region. We hope the problem will be resolved soon,” Bengia said, and urged the consumers not to panic.
When contacted, the IOC’s North Lakhimpur area sales officer, Sayed MM Hussain, said: “The main reason for the huge rush of LPG consumers is the ongoing unrest in the state and the NE region, which is hampering vehicular movement. Distribution of LPG cylinders is badly hampered due to bandh calls in Assam and other states of the region. The strike by the LPG transporters has added to the woe of the consumers for the last one month.”
Hussain expressed hope that LPG transportation from Tinsukia would start soon to ease the problem of the consumers. He appealed to the consumers to bear with the inconvenience for a few more days.
“The supply will be normal soon,” he said.
A public leader here informed that there is a new LPG agency, called ‘Nirmal Gas Agency’, with outlets in Itanagar and Papu Nallah.
“Consumers may avail LPG from the new agency if the problem persists,” he said.
There are six gas agencies in the capital complex – Mepung Gas Agency (Banderdewa), Arunachal Gas Agency (Nirjuli), Papum Pare Gas Agency (Doimukh), Arunsiri Gas Agency (Naharlagun), and Marina Gas Agency and Donyi Polo Gas Agency in Itanagar – with around 55,000 consumers.
The rush at almost all the retail gas agencies in the capital complex is not reducing. In fact, it is increasing day by day, and consumers are seen standing in queues from early morning.
