BY MOHD MAJID MALIK DODA,APR06—Domestic Gas (LPG) that is provided to people on subsidy by government is being used other than its intended purpose in kitchens. Thus gas bought on subsidy is used commercially which is leading to scarcity of LPG in the area besides posing loss to government.
Not only is, but the black marketing of gas is also playing greater role in non- availability of gas to genuine customers. The confectioners get advantage of LPG bought on subsidy. “No doubt they use commercial cylinders but just for display. Actually these cylinders are installed in front of the shop but the place where confectionery is being prepared; only domestic gas cylinders are used.
These confectioners get advantage of commercial cylinders kept for showing outside the shop. Such people have started a new practice these days. They transfer gas into commercial as well as other small cylinders from domestic gas cylinders with the help of some instruments. Moreover domestic gas is also used in some LPG gas kits fitted cars. There is no gas filling station in Doda and Bhaderwah , where do they get gas from to run their vehicles? Here again either domestic gas cylinders are used or domestic gas is filled in the cylinders fitted in these cars”, told a customer standing in a queue this morning with an empty cylinder.
He added that the long queues seen at the time of distribution speak of insufficiency of gas in the area. The gas supplied to Bhaderwah is enough to meet demand of genuine customers but its black marketing has made it scarcely available. Some days ago when maximum marriages were arranged, people suffered acute shortage of LPG not because the supply of gas was insufficient but because the supplied gas was sold in black market to owners of marriage palaces and others for preparing meals. People from far flung villages come here but after waiting in queues for hours together, go back empty handed. Many times labourers waste their full day but all in vain. They have to return empty handed and their full day is wasted when they could have earned their bread.
The disappointed customers alleged that there are many shops in Bhaderwah ,Doda and Bhalessa where black marketing of LPG is done especially in villages. They alleged some shops have more than ten cylinders stocked for sale in black. They added Rs 550 are charged per cylinder, here sometimes even more than this.They added here also domestic gas cylinders are seen in restaurants, hotels, dhabas, hot dough rehris and a lot of business establishments including hostels for students but nobody cares for supply of gas to genuine customers.
Moreover, how the gas suppliers in Doda district manage to run their business of black marketing keeping aside the genuine customers is still difficult to understand and needs proper investigation. Not only is this, cheap quality LPG kits are fitted in some school vans which run all the time with domestic LPG cylinders thereby putting lives of small kids in danger. But the concerned authorities have become mute spectators to all this. “The authorities need to act sternly with owners of these business establishments if domestic gas cylinders are found there” the suffering customers told.
They demanded that owners of gas agencies should also be punished as per the law if proven of black marketing. They told the shops where black marketing of LPG is done, should be sealed and their owners be punished severely under law. They also emphasized on improving the distribution policy so that black marketing can be avoided to the maximum extent possible.