In a bid to bring in transparency in the booking, consumption and delivery of LPG cylinders, and prevent diversion to the black market, the government, on Friday, launched a website aimed at empowering nearly 14 crore consumers in the country.
The “LPG transparency portal” carries details of booking and delivery date, usage patterns, subsidies, particulars of distributors, and information affecting consumers. It can be accessed through the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry’s website, www.petroleum.nic.in. The portal will also be hosted on the sites of Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation.
Launching the portal, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, S. Jaipal Reddy, told journalists here that consumers could, with a single click, get information on their individual usage patterns, booking status, subsidy availed, and refill history, or request surrender of their connection. The information on the portal could be sorted, using the consumers’ numbers and names, and the distributors’ names. This could help in a social audit of all domestic LPG supplies.
Mr. Reddy said the new system would not only benefit consumers, but also be a unique resource for civil society to access LPG distribution information, report discrepancies, and register feedback on anomalies in supply. The portal gave consumers an opportunity to rate the services of their LPG distributors.
With the oil marketing companies supplying more than 32 lakh cylinders a day, and expected to incur a subsidy burden of Rs. 43,000 crore this year, it was all the more important to curb diversion of domestic LPG for commercial purposes, he said.
