LPG consumers, stop being short-changed

Have doubts about the quantity of gas in the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder delivered at your doorsteps? You can now insist upon the delivery boys to measure the quantity using a weighing balance and if it weighs less than 14.2 kg, can lodge a complaint with Legal Metrology Department for taking action against the agency that is supplying the cylinders with short measurement.

During a recent raid at the LPG bottling unit in Cherlapally, officials checked the quantity filled in 14.2 kg LPG domestic cylinders and found a short filling of 60 grams of gas in each cylinder.

It is estimated that customers are suffering a cumulative loss of Rs. 5 crore every year from this unit which supplies 30,000 cylinders everyday, said City Assistant Controller V. Srinivas.

Authorities raided another unit in Cherlapally and checked the quantity in a 19 kg LPG commercial cylinder. They found a short measurement of 29 grams of gas in each cylinder resulting in losses to customers.

Rules stipulate that any commodity, solid, semi-solid, viscous or a mixture of solid and liquid, has to be invariably sold and delivered by weight only.

It is binding on the part of the dealer to keep a weighing machine available and consumers should be able to check the cylinder weight at the time of delivery.

“Customers must check whether the weighing machine has proper certificate issued by us. Consumers should refuse to accept the cylinder if they find it of less weight than prescribed,” Mr. Srinivas said.

Domestic cylinders will have their tare (empty) weight printed on them and gas agencies should fill it with 14.2 kg LPG.

The gross weight of the cylinder should be arrived at by adding tare weight and the amount of 14.2 kg LPG. For example, if the tare weight printed on the cylinder is 15.2 kg, a full cylinder with 14.2 kg LPG should have a gross weight of 29.4 kg.

In case of a commercial cylinder, it must invariably bear declarations such as date of packing, price to be paid, manufacturer details and net quantity in kgs.

44 cases booked

The department has so far booked 44 cases in twin cities during the year 2013-14. Of them, 33 cases were registered during the recent special raids carried out as per directions of the Additional Director-General of Police and Controller S. Gopal Reddy.