Govt taking steps to deal with acute LPG cylinder shortage

New Delhi, Mar 11 (UNI) The Government today said the acute shortage of gas cylinders in the country was in part due to backlog of LPG cylinders in certain states following cut in supply of bulk LPG by Reliance Industries Ltd and Essar Oil Ltd in January 2008 and delay in movement of bulk LPG by rail from Jamnagar to the northern region.

Denying that there was any "overall shortage" of LPG cyclinders in the country, Minister of state for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dinsha Patel said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that these factors had got further aggravated with increased demand in states due to severe cold which resulted in panic booking by customers, strikes by contract labour, agitational activities, delays in berthing of vessels at Haldia Port due to reduced draft and bandhs.

Mr Patel informed that the Government had advised OMCs to liquidate the backlog by states by operating the bottling plants on holidays and during extended hours.

"Increased bottling is being done during the working days for early clearance of backlog," he assured the members during the question hour.

He said OMCs had reported that at present LPG supplies to distributors was being made through indigenous production and imports in accordance with the genuine demand of customers registered with the LPG distributors.

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