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Surat : The widespread use of small LPG cylinders among the city’s large migrant workforce in the textile and diamond industries has led to the black market sale of the subsidised cylinders by the dealers and the illegal refilling of those cylinders by some 2,000 or so small-time traders who have sprung up across the city. The authorities appear to be sound asleep despite the Essential Commodities Act granting the petroleum companies and district supplies department the authority to seize the LPG cylinders.
Traders who fill LPG cylinders illegally make twice as much money. The city’s LPG retailers and their staff know exactly how many free cylinders of gas are still available to be claimed by customers and how much of a subsidy they’ve been given. But such containers are sold illegally to small traders who use them to refill the smaller LPG containers, which can hold a maximum of 4 kilogrammes.
To combat the illegal trade of subsidised LPG cylinders and the operation of a network for the illegal refilling of small LPG cylinders, social activist Darshan Naik has written a memorandum addressed to the Surat district collector, district supplies officers, and the Surat police commissioner.
Many people in the city have been hurt or killed after LPG cylinders exploded during illegal refilling operations, and these incidents have been reported repeatedly. Despite the strict legal norms, the authorities are turning blind eyes on the illegal practise.
Darshan Naik estimates that there are 10.54 million LPG cylinder users and 11 million PNG connections in the Surat metropolitan area. Twelve LPG cylinders per year are subsidised by the government. The dealers and their employees sell the LPG cylinders to the small traders for refilling the 5 kg cylinders illegally if the subsidy amount has expired or been left unclaimed.
The annual revenue of this LPG refilling network is in the crores of rupees. Naik estimates that roughly 70% of Surat’s population is made up of migrants who, without easy access to kerosene, must rely on the small cylinders for their everyday cooking needs. Prices to refill 5 KG cylinders vary widely between Rs 100 and Rs 200, depending on the vendor.
The LPG cylinder refilling vendors also sell cheaply made regulators and new cylinders. The 5 kilogramme cylinder can hold up to 4 kilogrammes of liquid propane gas, and it can be purchased for anywhere from Rs 700 to Rs 800,” Naik said.
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