GANGTOK, Oct. 4: With LPG cylinders running short in the state in festival month, common people are a worried lot. According to officials, supply of LPG cylinders to the state has been affected owing to recent bridge collapse on NH-34 at Domohana in North Dinajpur and poor condition of NH-31A at 27th Mile in Kalimpong sub-division.People are seen waiting in long queue everyday to get LPG cylinders. At Tadong, Metro Point, Deorali, Development Area and Sichey, people wait for the whole night to get the LPG cylinders next morning. "We waited for several hours yesterday to get cylinders. Finally, the LPG vehicle arrived around 1 a.m.," said Ms Asha Chettri, a resident of Gangtok.The customers even had fights with each other when the driver and the handy boy of the LPG lorry fled from the spot, she added."We are fed up with the LPG crisis as ahead of festivals," said Mrs Niru Rai, a resident of Deorali. Commenting on short supply of LPG cylinders, Mr Navin Chhetri, additional district collector, East, said: "Apart from bridge collapse in North Dinajpur and poor condition of the NH-31A, another reason that has aggravated the crisis is increasing number of LPG consumers. Our bottling capacity at Mazitar is only 10 to 12 lorries. Each lorry contains only 200 cylinders which is not adequate for the state. The state needs 2,000 to 2,500 LPG cylinders everyday to cater to the needs of the people.
