Assam Government suspends five LPG distributors for irregularities

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Five LPG distributors in the state have been placed under suspension with immediate effect by the competent authority, pending further review.

As part of a monitoring exercise by Dispur, certain irregularities relating to distribution practices and compliance norms have come to the notice of the authorities in respect of the following distributors: B.M. Gas Service, Tezpur; Biswanath Gas Distributor, Biswanath Charali; Gadadhar Gas Service, Dhubri; K.A. Indane Gramin Vitrak, Howly (Barpeta); and Prakash Indane Agency, Hojai.

Official sources said that these five LPG distributors have been placed under suspension with immediate effect. It has further been decided that no LPG supplies shall be released to the above distributors from the date of suspension, and no allocation will be made to them in the Supply Planning and Distribution (SPD) system until further orders. Consumers of these agencies have been suitably tagged to alternate distributors to ensure that there is no interruption in LPG supply.

Meanwhile, the overall LPG supply situation has been reviewed at both the central and state levels. Consumers are assured that adequate stocks of LPG are available, and the domestic consumers continue to receive 100% allocation. With regard to commercial consumers, the Government of Assam has recently complied with certain reform criteria and has secured an additional 10% allocation for commercial LPG consumption, taking it up to 70%, thereby providing further relief to the sector.

The state government reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards any irregularities in the distribution of essential commodities. Further action will be taken based on the outcome of the ongoing review.

The situation continues to be closely monitored to safeguard public interest and ensure seamless distribution of essential commodities in the backdrop of the prevailing situation in West Asia and in line with the action plan of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India.

Moreover, to curb black marketing, hoarding, and other malpractices, Indian Oil and other oil marketing companies are working closely with the Assam government to carry out strict monitoring and enforcement. More than 700 inspections of LPG distributorships have been conducted in Assam by Indian Oil in association with the Assam government.

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