Amid the rising incidents of public confrontation with gas agency operators, the Federation of LPG Distributors of Punjab (FLDP) has urged the state government to appoint a nodal officer to ensure the safety and security of LPG distributors across the state.
The security concerns have been raised amidst hike in prices of commercial gas cylinders. The commercial LPG rates were raised by Rs 195.50 per cylinder, mirroring the surge in global oil prices linked to the widening West Asia conflict but the price of domestic gas cylinders have remained unchanged.
As the LPG cylinder shortage continues to persist, LPG thefts are also being reported from the region.
Punjab has around 980 LPG distributors (gas agencies) catering to nearly 96 lakh consumers, and the ongoing supply crisis has significantly increased pressure on the distribution network.
The FLDP president, Gurpal Singh Mann, said that ever since the LPG shortage intensified, agency staff and delivery personnel have been facing hostility.
“Distributors and vendors delivering cylinders are being targeted. Panic-stricken residents queuing outside agencies are losing patience, leading to frequent confrontations. There is a constant fear regarding the safety of life and stock,” he said.
The federation has also demanded a centralised SOS helpline to enable quick response in case of emergencies.
Echoing similar concerns, Gurpreet Singh Brar, Patiala coordinator of the All-India LPG Distributors Federation, submitted a memorandum to Varjeet Walia, Deputy Commissioner of Patiala. He sought deployment of a nodal officer for swift action in case of untoward incidents at booking offices, godowns or during cylinder delivery.
Distributors said they were facing mounting public anger and frustration due to delays and shortages in cylinder supply. Though no major violent incident has been reported so far, instances of heated exchanges, panic among consumers and pressure on agency staff are on the rise.
The paucity of commercial cylinders has triggered black marketing. The domestic Rs-900 gas cylinder is being sold for Rs 1,700-2,000, while commercial cylinders were allegedly fetching Rs 3,000.
In Bathinda, a man dressed like a dacoit roamed around the city on a horse on Saturday, searching for an LPG cylinder to steal. The act was done to highlight the paucity of cylinders.
Residents in Phagwara staged a brief road blockade on Friday, halting traffic near Bhagwan Valmiki Chowk along the Phagwara-Hoshiarpur road to protest the alleged shortage of LPG cylinders.
On March 13, a 66-year-old man allegedly died of cardiac arrest while standing in a queue to get a domestic LPG cylinder at Sehna in Barnala.
On March 15, bike-borne thieves stole an LPG cylinder from a tea stall near the Barnala bus stand. The theft was captured on a CCTV camera. In another incident in the same area, two cylinders were stolen from a rickshaw driver’s tea cart.
On March 18 in Jalandhar, three LPG cylinders were stolen from a locked house from Raja Garden Colony in the Basti area.
On March 22 in Pathankot, the police arrested a youth for stealing gas cylinders, and recovered two stolen cylinders.
FLDP president Mann said that several cases had gone unreported.
