Tag: deccan herald

Gas Agencies are in a quandary as to what to collect.

My gas dealer collected Electricity bill copy,Copy of the bill of the gas agency for having delivered gas.

Some others are collecting copy of the first page of the gas Book/Ration Card along with Electricity bill.

Funniest thing is there is a poster in the  Agency declaring ‘No acknowledgement is required’.

The man in charge is dumping the collected papers in a card board box without any reference being taken.

How am I going to prove that I have submitted the details, for Government has declared that gas connection will be cut if details are not provided?

Again I live in a rented flat,it has more than ten flats.

How will they check when the next man moves in;by checking lease deeds?

You can not upload details in the site mentioned  .

site: http://web5.kar.nic.in/fcslpg/main.aspx.

( I am recording this as I have not been able to do so     ; I had already submitted the papers to the Agency on 4 February)

Easiest way would have been to entrust the work to the Agency, ask them to check the documents ‘collect the RR copy  ,enter into Gas book ..

The offices of LPG distributors have been thronged by the customers seeking too many clarifications from the staff, who are also unclear about the department’s intention in collecting the RR numbers.

The department has made it mandatory for LPG consumers to submit RR numbers and copies of APL cards to continue getting LPG supply. For the last four days, since the government extended the deadline for submitting the information, the customers have begun approaching the distributors for clarity on details to be furnished.

Deccan Herald on Thursday visited a few agencies to gauge the public response to the government’s announcement.

It is difficult to convince customers,” is the common response of staff at the LPG centres. For the last four days, the offices are abuzz with customers seeking clarifications on documents they should submit.

The staff at K K Indane Enterprises at Someshwarapura in Ulsoor, look worked up attending to hundreds of customers a day. Proprietor Prakash said he had been seeing three types of customers.

http://174.133.94.26/content/132609/gas-connection-rule-flummoxes-all.html

“A few, well aware of the issue, are voluntarily submitting the records. Many are bringing records after we insist for them. But a large section of the customers want us to answer many questions, before submitting the details,” he said.

Many customers complained that the department’s advertisement in newspapers did not clarify what records should those who do not possess APL cards submit. Gajendran, a resident of Someshwara extension, said that despite repeated enquiries with the staff at the distributor’s office, he could not get information on which document he should submit in lieu of the APL card, which he did not have.

To clear the confusion, the department has supplied two separate forms for those with APL cards and those who do not have them.

A few distributors are taking details as per these forms. Those who do not have APL cards should submit only RR number and LPG consumer number.

Another major confusion among the consumers is about those residing in rented houses, which share a single electricity meter. In this case, all residents have to provide RR number of the same meter. However, homes sharing a single meter is against the rules.
The distributors also have their grouse against this system. They feel the department is harassing them with the task of collecting the data, only because the department has control over them.

Capt B V Subbanna of BVS Enterprises in Malleswaram said, “This is a futile exercise. A couple of years ago, the department collected several documents through distributors to weed out bogus card holders. But there was no impact. We don’t have the infrastructure or staff to handle this mess.” His office has placed a box for customers to drop the documents.

Poor response

Despite the threat of disconnection, the LPG (domestic) consumers in Bangalore don’t seem to have taken the mandatory disclosure of the RR numbers seriously. Only a few consumers have so far disclosed their RR numbers. For instance, Kavitha Gas Agency near Manuvana in Vijayanagar, one of the largest LPG distributors in Bangalore, has received RR numbers from only 200 consumers. The agency has a total of 37,000 consumers. “We have been requesting our customers to furnish the details at the earliest. But the response has been poor. We expect a lot of rush as the deadline nears ,” the agency manager said.

Similarly, Kalpana gas agency in RPC Layout, has received around 400 RR numbers so far. “People do not seem to have taken the notice seriously. They think that it is not so easy to withdraw the LPG connections. We expect to receive RR numbers from only 50 per cent of the customers. The rest will comply with the notice only if the department starts taking action,” one of the staff members at the agency said.

The distributors have no mechanism to issue acknowledgments to customers who file the documents. Those who want acknowledgments have to carry duplicate copies of the documents they submit. The distributor will put his signature on the copies as acknowledgement.

Form A

Consumers with APL cards

Consumer name:

LPG consumer number:

Ration card number (Enclose a copy of ration card):

RR number (Enclose a copy of recent electricity bill)
Consumer address and contact number

Form B

Consumers without APL cards

Consumer name:

LPG consumer number:

RR number (Enclose a copy of recent electricity bill)
Consumer address and contact number

Toll-free number

The Food and Civil Supplies Department has launched a toll-free phone line (1800-425-9339) to receive customers’ complaints and clarify their doubts. But the common complaint is that either the line is always engaged or the call is never answered. Deccan Herald also called up the number, but there was no response.

Bangalore : Karnataka’s lone woman minister Shobha Karandlaje Wednesday claimed she had received a call that she will “meet the same fate as Yashwant Sonawane” for trying to streamline the supply of cooking gas to the city’s consumers.

Related:

Karandlaje, who holds the power and food and civil supplies portfolios, told reporters here: “I have received a call a few days back threatening that I will meet the same fate as Yashwant Sonawane following the drive.”

Nashik district additional collector Yashwant Sonawane, 44, was set on fire by the oil mafia near Manmad area of the district Jan 25 when he tried to take photographs of kerosene being stolen from an oil tanker.

Karandlaje said the man on the line told her that liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) suppliers would incur huge loss because of her drive.

When she called back on the number, it went to a public call office (PCO). Most of the PCOs in the city are privately managed.

“I am not scared by such threats and will register a case after discussing the issue with Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa,” she said.

http://icarelive.com/news/news.php?cat_id=1&article_id=14360

The food and civil supplies department has made it mandatory for all LPG connection holders in Bangalore to submit ration cards along with the latest electricity bill and the consumer number of the gas connection to their respective agencies or to the department. Those without ration cards can submit their consumer number and the latest power bill latest by Feb 9.

Karandlaje said she decided on this measure to ascertain the exact number of LPG connection holders.

“There is a thriving racket in LPG cylinder supplies and this step is to curb it,” she said last week when announcing the drive.

The minister said the government was losing anywhere between Rs.100-150 crore as a large number of LPG cylinders meant for domestic consumption are diverted for commercial use.

Karandlaje’s disclosure of the threatening call comes two days after Yeddyurappa claimed his political opponents were indulging in ‘black magic’ to eliminate him.

Karandlaje is known to be Yeddyurappa’s confidante and her alleged interference in other ministries’ functioning was cited as one of the reasons for the rebellion by mining magnates ministers, the Reddy brothers, in October-November 200