LPG dealers want seals on cylinders

Nashik: The recent incident of a delivery person from Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) distribution firm being caught by the police while stealing gas from domestic use cylinders has forced the LPG distributors to look for solutions to stop the leakage.
They have also decided to ask the companies to put aluminium seals on cylinders instead of the plastic caps used at present.
Nashik police have nabbed the delivery person for stealing gas from the LPG cylinder and selling it in the open market. This is the second such incident in the past eight months in the city.
Lakshman Mandale of Bhagwati Gas Agency, where the delivery boy was employed, said all measures and means were in place to ensure that the delivery persons would not be able to steal gas from the cylinders. "The delivery boys are given all the necessary information about the delivery process but unfortunately, there are some who still find a way out," he said.
He added that the distributors have raised their concerns with the company and demanded that the aluminium seals be used on the cylinders. "We want the companies to seal the cylinders with aluminium seals. The plastic ones are easy to remove and replace but the aluminium ones will either break or tear away," Mandale said.
District supply officer Sarita Narke, who took the charge of the department on Monday, said the issue was serious and she would investigate the matter. "We are in the process of finding out the ways that give scope for such activities. After that, we will either recommend the distributors or the companies to take remedial measures," Narke said.
A senior official from an LPG company said the delivery system being implemented now by the companies - using electronic mode for booking and delivering the cylinders and transfer of cash subsidy - had no loose ends that would allow the delivery boys to play with.
"The booking of cylinders, issuing list of customers, transfer of subsidy is electronically maintained. The human interference is only during the delivery of the cylinders. The check is also at the customers' end. If that is completed, the issues of stealing gas from cylinders can be easily noticed," the official said.
Another senior official said the customers have the right to reject the delivery if delivery person refused to weigh the cylinder in front of the customer or if the money charged is in excess of the cash memo. "The delivery person may mark anything in his report sheet, but a call from customer to the distributorship can make all the difference," the officer said.
The DSO echoed the view. "Though all other measures will be taken, customers' awareness plays a major role in ensuring correct delivery of the cylinder," the officer added.
Besides, the LPG companies are also trying to track the customers who sparingly call for the refills. "All customers, who rarely book refill, will be under scanner and the deliveries of the cylinders will be tracked," the officer said.