LPG crisis to continues for a while
GANGTOK, September 29: The LPG crisis is likely to continue till first week of October 2007.
The backlog demand of LPG refill in the city today triggered a group of people to stop a truck carrying LPG halfway at Lower Metro Point, 5th Mile forcing the driver stop the vehicle, which was moving towards Gangtok.
Supply of LPG in Sikkim has hit an all time low due to continued transportation problems along the National Highway 31, Raiganj, North Dinajpur, West Bengal. The ongoing work at the Tar Khola bridge, which falls on the only lifeline to Sikkim, National Highway 31-A, the route taken by trucks carrying LPG cylinders to various agencies in state, has further aggravated the problem causing hardship to the people for the past month.
And the serpentine queues outside various gas agencies as well as along the way are getting longer by the day.
The situation worsened today when people decided to line up in several locations with the prime intention of stopping trucks carrying LPG on the way.
“For the past week we have returned home empty handed after long hours of wait at the Sate Trading Corporation of Sikkim and so we decided to do this today,” said people from Lower Tadong.
According to informed sources, the irate public who were running in search of cooking gas since the past few days stopped the truck today morning at around 8: 30am at Metro Point.
“We are fed up of the LPG crisis. What is the concerned department doing,” lambasted one of the consumer who has no alternative but to cook food in a stove for the past two weeks. Some consumers on the other hand complain of getting only two liters of kerosene oil per family which has further aggravated the problem.
However, witnessing the situation going worst, the driver and the handy boy fled away from the truck leaving everything for the gathered crowd. The people started taking out the cylinders on their own which even led to another quarrel and even minor physical fights amongst the consumers themselves.
Later the Police reached the spot under the supervision of SP East MS Tuli and the situation was brought under control.
As per the information received, the cylinders were that of a private distributor of Gangtok. However, in the rage, there are reports of five cylinders missed.
Vishal Chauhan, DC East informed, “Five trucks of cylinders were brought into the state today, one for Namchi and rest four for Gangtok. He also informed that by Monday the problem of cylinder crisis would be solved as seven more block tankers of LPG are arriving at the Rangpo depot.
Stating the reason of the crisis as continuous landslides, the DC also informed that more cylinders would be brought from Siliguri tomorrow. He further informed that the coming of the truck would be delayed by a day owing to the repair works at Tar Khola on Sunday.
GANGTOK, September 29: The LPG crisis is likely to continue till first week of October 2007.
The backlog demand of LPG refill in the city today triggered a group of people to stop a truck carrying LPG halfway at Lower Metro Point, 5th Mile forcing the driver stop the vehicle, which was moving towards Gangtok.
Supply of LPG in Sikkim has hit an all time low due to continued transportation problems along the National Highway 31, Raiganj, North Dinajpur, West Bengal. The ongoing work at the Tar Khola bridge, which falls on the only lifeline to Sikkim, National Highway 31-A, the route taken by trucks carrying LPG cylinders to various agencies in state, has further aggravated the problem causing hardship to the people for the past month.
And the serpentine queues outside various gas agencies as well as along the way are getting longer by the day.
The situation worsened today when people decided to line up in several locations with the prime intention of stopping trucks carrying LPG on the way.“For the past week we have returned home empty handed after long hours of wait at the Sate Trading Corporation of Sikkim and so we decided to do this today,” said people from Lower Tadong.
According to informed sources, the irate public who were running in search of cooking gas since the past few days stopped the truck today morning at around 8: 30am at Metro Point.
“We are fed up of the LPG crisis. What is the concerned department doing,” lambasted one of the consumer who has no alternative but to cook food in a stove for the past two weeks. Some consumers on the other hand complain of getting only two liters of kerosene oil per family which has further aggravated the problem.
However, witnessing the situation going worst, the driver and the handy boy fled away from the truck leaving everything for the gathered crowd. The people started taking out the cylinders on their own which even led to another quarrel and even minor physical fights amongst the consumers themselves.
Later the Police reached the spot under the supervision of SP East MS Tuli and the situation was brought under control.
As per the information received, the cylinders were that of a private distributor of Gangtok. However, in the rage, there are reports of five cylinders missed.
Vishal Chauhan, DC East informed, “Five trucks of cylinders were brought into the state today, one for Namchi and rest four for Gangtok. He also informed that by Monday the problem of cylinder crisis would be solved as seven more block tankers of LPG are arriving at the Rangpo depot.
Stating the reason of the crisis as continuous landslides, the DC also informed that more cylinders would be brought from Siliguri tomorrow. He further informed that the coming of the truck would be delayed by a day owing to the repair works at Tar Khola on Sunday.
