A doctor from Annanur near Avadi has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to State-run oil companies to prevent delivery boys of liquefied petroleum gas domestic cylinders from demanding extra cash over and above the bill amount.
The petitioner M. Logarangan, said that consumers were often fleeced by delivery boys, who extracted ₹20 to ₹100 as delivery charges based on the distance from the agency and the number of floors the refill had to be carried.
Stating that the bill included delivery charges, the petitioner alleged that at times, delivery boys even intimidated the customer and forcefully took money and when customers refused to accede to the request, the men abused and most time women and elderly people bear the brunt. The delivery personnel even went to the extent of removing the washer of the cylinder, which caused the gas to leak, the petitioner said.
The doctor submitted that The oil companies provided distributors a commission, which included delivery charges and accordingly the bill included all the charges and taxes. Therefore, it was sufficient that the end consumer paid the bill amount, which included all the charges, the petitioner said.
The petitioner further alleged that though the oil companies were aware of overcharging by delivery the deliver personnel, no remedial measures have been initiated despite complaints, which made him to approach the court, the petitioner said.
