NEW DELHI, June 7 � The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has after a long silence at the Centre moved the Prime Minister today demanding a probe into the scarcity of LPG cylinders in the North-east, particularly Assam.
A delegation of AGP MPs including Kumar Deepak Das and Joseph Toppo today met Union Petroleum and Natural Gas, S Jaipal Reddy, besides dashing off memorandums to the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister calling for a probe into the artificial scarcity of the essential commodity.
AGP has demanded a high-level inquiry into the artificial shortage caused by deliberate inaction of officials responsible for LPG distribution.
The memorandum signed by recently-elected president, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, alleged that the scarcity has been created by organised rackets in connivance with corrupt officials of the oil companies.
The regional party quoting figures said that shortfall of LPG was 1,16,077 MT in Eastern Region including the North-east. The shortage of LPG cylinders in the region in the last seven months is over 6 lakh cylinders. It is officially stated that the major cause for shortfall was due to repairing works at the State�s four refineries.
It is pertinent to mention that the local monthly demand of LPG cylinders in Assam alone is 12,05,000 cylinders and followed by Tripura with 3.12 lakh cylinders.
Alleging that large scale black marketing of LPG cylinders is rampant in the region, the regional party has charged that though there is scarcity of LPG cylinders, it is openly available in black market for Rs 1200. Assam Government is a mere spectator and its callous attitude has encouraged black marketeers and corrupt officials, it was alleged.
