Baramulla, Mar 20: Several villages in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district are facing disruption in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) supply for more than a week, leaving residents in distress.
Residents of Kalantra and adjoining villages like Danmoo and Saterseran said they have not received LPG supply for over a week, alleging that the concerned HP gas agency is not following its door-to-door distribution roster, leaving consumers high and dry.
“We were scheduled to receive the supply on Tuesday, but it did not arrive. It didn’t come on Wednesday or Thursday either, as people kept waiting in queues with their cylinders and returned home empty-handed,” said Ishfaq Ahmad, a resident of Kalantra.
He said the shortage has left hundreds of households struggling to meet basic cooking needs, adding that many women have resorted to using firewood for cooking.
“We have been calling the employees of the HP Gas agency, but either their numbers are switched off or they do not receive consumers’ calls. This is injustice to us,” they said.
Locals also complained that if the government claims there is no shortage of LPG, then why are they not receiving supply. They alleged that if supplies are not reaching consumers, black marketing may be taking place.
“Eid-ul-Fitr is a day away and we have no gas at home. The power supply is low voltage, so we can’t even cook food. What are we supposed to do now? We need LPG on an urgent basis,” they said.
The consumers appealed to the Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, the concerned Tehsildar, and SHOs to monitor LPG distribution and ensure door-to-door supply; otherwise, they said, such a service is of no use to them.
Locals said that over the past week, people have been waiting on the roads with their cylinders. They added that there has been zero supply of LPG cylinders in the area for several days, forcing families to struggle with their daily cooking needs.
However, Naib Tehsildar Kreeri said they are aware of the complaints and that efforts are being made to streamline the supply chain and clear the backlog of pending deliveries at the earliest.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and necessary action will be taken against any lapse in distribution,” he said.
Meanwhile, residents have urged authorities to put in place a proper schedule and ensure transparency in LPG distribution to avoid such crises in the future.
They demanded that helpline numbers of agencies remain functional and that strict action be taken against erring dealers, especially as demand has surged ahead of Eid.–(RK)
