Outcry Over LPG Crisis In Banda! People Stood In Line For Hours, Gas Cylinders Ran Out Even Before The Number Came.
There is a serious shortage of domestic gas cylinders in Banda. Despite hours-long queues at Aradhana Gas Agency, many consumers returned empty handed. Even those who booked till March 20 could not get the cylinder. 720 cylinders proved insufficient for the crowd of thousands. The District Supply Officer has appealed not to hoard, while the commercial supply is at a standstill. This problem is spread in the entire district, due to which the daily routine of the people is being affected.
Jagran correspondent, Banda. The shortage of domestic gas cylinders in the city has now taken the form of a serious problem. On Friday, a long queue formed outside Aradhana Gas Agency on Stadium Road since early morning, but even after waiting for hours, a large number of consumers could not get the cylinder. The situation was such that even people who had booked within the date announced by the agency were forced to return empty handed.
Kailash, a resident of Jawahar Nagar, had joined the queue at 4.15 am. By morning the queue became more than a kilometer long. After waiting for about five hours, he got the gas cylinder after 9 am, but most of the people standing behind him could not get this relief.
There was a board at the main gate of the agency that gas would be distributed on March 27 only to those who had booked till March 20. Based on this information, people stood in the queue hoping to get their turn. PAC personnel were also deployed to control the crowd and distribution was done in their presence, but due to limited stock, the system appeared to be under pressure.
At 10 am, Shyam Lal of Swaraj Colony is standing in the queue with the booking slip for March 19. An hour later, Ashok Kumar of Station Road Cantonment also joins the queue with a booking for the same date. The sun has become stronger at 1 pm. Ajay Kumar of Aliganj has been waiting for three hours, while behind him Shivam Awasthi and Pankaj Awasthi of Kailash Puri Colony are waiting for their turn. All these consumers fall within the date range announced by the agency and were expected to receive the cylinders on the same day.
Meanwhile, information spreads among the consumers standing in the queue that the cylinders have run out…the line stops here. Shyam Lal and Ashok Kumar are unable to reach their turn. Ajay Kumar, Shivam Awasthi and Pankaj Awasthi also do not get the cylinder and all return empty handed. It was told that 720 gas cylinders had arrived at the agency in two trucks on Friday, but this number proved inadequate in front of the crowd of thousands of consumers.
Know what consumers are saying
Consumers say the problem is not limited to delivery alone. First one has to make efforts throughout the night for booking, then one has to wait for the DAC number for several days and even after this the cylinder is not available on time. This situation is not limited to the city only. Same is the situation in Indane Gas agencies of Naraini, Badausa, Pailani, Chilla, Jaspura, Baberu and Bisanda areas, where consumers are not getting gas cylinders despite long queues. Raju Gupta, director of Atarra Gas Agency, says that more than 200 domestic cylinders are available with him, but the agency remained closed on Friday due to Ram Navami holiday. Distribution will start from Saturday. People's daily routine is being affected due to non-availability of gas cylinders on time and common consumers are considering it as a big problem.
In the morning I inspected many agencies of the city including Aradhana Gas Agency. People are being continuously appealed to store gas cylinders only as per requirement and not to accumulate stock. At the same time, the supply of commercial cylinders is still stalled.- Kyamuddin Ansari, District Supply Officer