Raisen (MP), Mar 15 (PTI) Consumers blocked a road outside a gas agency in Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen district after failing to get LPG cylinders despite waiting in queues for hours, officials said.
Hundreds of LPG customers had been standing in a queue since around 7 am on Saturday, but when the agency located on Sagar Road did not open till 10 am, an hour after it was supposed to start business, they became restless.
A large number of women also joined the protest, alleging the agency operator had given no prior information and had made them wait for hours. Some women said they could not even prepare morning tea or food for their children, as their cooking gas had run out.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manish Sharma, who reached the spot with police personnel, pacified the protesters and got the agency office opened. He directed the staff to begin the distribution of cylinders immediately.
Sharma told the agency operator they could face strict action, including closure, if distribution was delayed again or consumers failed to receive LPG cylinders.
“I have warned the agency,” the official told PTI, adding that the distribution of cylinders began around 11 am.
Later, the agency operator said they had an adequate stock of cylinders and attributed the delay to a technical problem.
The West Asia conflict has impacted the supply of crude oil and petroleum products, following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow water passage between Iran and Oman.
The government has said that there is no shortage of domestic LPG in the country. PTI COR LAL NR GK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.