Families have been waiting over a fortnight to get their refills of Indane Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders and with the Pongal holidays beginning, they are worried that the backlog might take a longer time to be cleared.
The problem that began after Deepavali, with waterlogging of bottling plants, has still not been resolved, said a distributor. Several reasons, including a strike by contract workers at a bottling plant; a strike by drivers of bulk LPG tankers and a change in the transportation contract caused the indefinite delays, officials said.
“I booked my refill on January 4 and I am yet to get it. When I contacted my agency, they said I would receive it by the 20th. I have also started using my microwave oven and the induction stove and now worried about the LPG cylinder supply,” said H. Krishnan, a consumer.
S. Malini in Pattabiram said she had to wait for 24 days before she got her refill last week. “My sister is yet to get hers. Pongal is here and gas delivery staff will go on leave, adding to the delay,” she said.
Distributors said they did not get enough supplies from the company. Indane sources said the company’s bottling plants were functioning property now and they were also sourcing refills from plants in other cities. Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram have around 19 lakh Indane consumers. “We hope things will get better by month-end,” said a company source.
