The Hindu : New Delhi News : Cooking gas being sold in black market, says Harsh Vardhan

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Thursday, May 29, 2008
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Cooking gas being sold in black market, says Harsh Vardhan

Staff Reporter

‘Gas agencies have stopped issuing new connections in the Capital’

Demand for stern action against the agencies involved in the practice
Delhi Food and Civil Supplies Minister assures more raids against black marketers

NEW DELHI: Charging that gas agencies have stopped issuing new gas connections in the Capital and because of this new gas cylinders are being sold for Rs.600 in the black market, Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan has demanded stern action against the agencies involved in the practice.

For his part, Delhi Food and Civil Supplies Minister Haroon Yusuf stated that raids against black marketers and those engaged in sale of cylinders with lesser weight are already under way.

In a statement, Dr. Vardhan stated that black marketing of cooking gas was going on in Delhi in a big way. He accused the Delhi Government of not taking any steps to curb the practice.

Stating that Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum had stopped issuing new connections, he asked why this was so when the Union Petroleum Ministry had not issued any orders in this regard.

“On the one hand new connections are not being issued while on the other the security deposit for new connection has been increased to Rs.1,250 on paper. So far this amount was Rs.850. The price of regulator has also been increased by Rs.50. Now a new regulator costs Rs.150,” he stated.

Dr. Vardhan also alleged that no action had been initiated against gas agencies involved in black marketing of cooking gas.

Hotels and restaurants

The gas cylinders allotted for domestic consumption are being sold to hotels and restaurants. On booking gas, the consumers are being supplied gas only after two to three weeks, he said.

He also alleged that acting in an arbitrary manner, many gas agencies had even stopped booking gas on telephone. Due to this the senior citizens were facing great difficulty. Mr. Yusuf said raids against people selling underweight cylinders or indulging in black marketing were continuing. “We keep conducting these raids from time to time. There have been cases where we have caught people selling only half-full cylinders to consumers.”

Stating that “over a hundred FIRs have already been registered this year” following raids by the Food and Civil Supplies Department and the Weights and Measures Department, the Minister said: “Wherever we will find that consumers are being cheated, we would not hesitate in mounting raids against the wrongdoers.”

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