GUWAHATI: Illegal business of selling Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders in Guwahati has become a flourishing business in some areas across the city. In what can be termed as an essential commodity, cooking gas or LPG has always been high in demand. However, there is never enough supply of cooking gas for everyone.
One of the main reasons for the existence of a black market for LPG cylinders is that people are not applying for connections and continue using the easier and more convenient black market source.
The suppliers are usually anyone ranging from the local grocery store owner to sometimes the landlords. The gas agencies are aware of it but can do very little to prevent it. Some of the gas agency supply executives are also involved in this business. It is very lucrative as one cylinder can make you richer by almost Rs. 1,400.
Most of the families or users shelling out extra money to get the cylinders are from lower strata of society, students, newly-arrived people in Guwahati from other places and labourers. Also, there are a large number of locally-run eateries and tea shops who rely on this process of buying cylinders in black. They are from outside Guwahati and are trying to make a living. Majority of them don't have documents which can help them get a cooking gas connection.
A couple who had migrated from a nearby district and run a tea shop in Ganeshguri area had this to say, "We are from Baksa district. All our documents are from the village. But we don't have anything here to prove our identity as residents of Guwahati. We live on rent and in our business a full cylinder lasts for almost a month.”
The husband added that they make a decent amount of profit and do not mind the extra money they have to pay to the supplier. “Moreover, his service is good and he delivers within a few hours. That way our business is also not affected," he said.
Some families are not keen on paying the connection fee as they feel that it is a bit high for them. On being asked why they continue procuring the cylinder by paying extra, a family from Gitanagar said, "We need to deposit over Rs. 5,000 for getting a single cylinder connection and for a double cylinder connection we need to pay over Rs. 7,000. It is a substantial amount of money for us. Though we know that we will get subsidy, we can't pay the registration amount at one go. The government should do something about it. There are many schemes for getting cylinders but here in the city we don't find any help."
Further, students who are living in Guwahati sharing rooms do not want to get into the hassle of getting a gas connection. "We are here for just three years and we share the cost of a cylinder that comes to around Rs. 1,100. Three of us share the bill. It is more convenient for us. We don't want to get into the hassle of getting a proper connection," said Anup Kalita, a student from Nalbari.
The gas agencies are aware of the illegal trade but are not in favour of interfering.
"There is the supply department, the Indian Oil Corporation and the government to look into the matter. If somebody wishes to buy a cylinder by paying extra money it is his or her call. How can we interfere in it? We just want to tell that if there is some problem with the cylinder then they are on their own. If you have a proper registered connection and there is any problem with the cylinder we deal with it immediately,” an employee of a gas agency said on the condition of anonymity.
On being asked if people have used documents to get multiple connections and then sell the extra cylinders in black, the employee said, “We make sure that one address has one connection and that’s what we are concerned about. If they have been sourcing it from other agencies as well by using a different address and different set of documents, we can do very little about it. A very few people will go that extent of making money by selling cylinders this way. ”
