The State government proposes to make Bangalore a kerosene-free city by providing domestic LPG connections to all households, particularly below poverty line card holders.
The government has sent a proposal to the Centre to provide LPG connection to all card holders, who use kerosene. Now, only 55 per cent of the State’s households have LPG connections and nearly 80 per cent of the connections are in urban areas.
“We are in talks with the Centre on this,” Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Dinesh Gundu Rao told presspersons on Friday.
Besides reducing health risks, widespread use of LPG would reduce pollution levels, he said.
The government has offered to give subsidy to the initiative. “It will benefit all stakeholders. It’s eco-friendly. People need not wait in ration shops for four to five hours for kerosene,” the Minister said. Cent per cent LPG connections will substantially reduce indiscriminate felling of trees for use of firewood, he said.
He expects more than 95 per cent of card holders, who use kerosene, to shift to LPG. While the government will not make it mandatory, it will offer the option to the people to opt for a LPG connection.
There are 6.91 lakh BPL households in Bangalore city alone and all are eligible to procure four litres of kerosene a month from ration shops, he said.
The government has cut off kerosene supply to 12 lakh card holders in the State, who were found to have LPG connection. Issue price of kerosene from oil marketing companies has reduced to Rs. 15.6 per litre from Rs. 16.10, and the benefit has entirely been passed on to card holders, said the Minister.
He also said the government has initiated steps to crack down on misuse and diversion of domestic LPG connections. On an average, 5 to 8 per cent of domestic LPG is being diverted for commercial use in Bangalore.
