9 lakh LPG links face axe in Bangalore

About 9.1 lakh of the 22,45,959 cooking gas connections in the city, face the possibility of suspension.

The state government on Thursday disclosed that it had recommended to the oil PSUs to suspend 9,10,937 connections in the city for failing to produce documents like ration cards and electricity meter numbers or producing faulty documents. 

It also announced the list of defaulters who failed to furnish documents pertaining to ration cards and LPG gas connections across the state.

The list was officially published on the website of the department of food and civil supplies, three state-owned petroleum companies, and all local gas distribution outlets.

Shobha Karandlaje, minister for food, civil supplies and consumer affairs, announced that out of 52,24,150 ration cards in urban areas of the state, 35,89,911 ration cards matched with the revenue register (RR) numbers of the electricity meters of the consumers.

Of this, 17,59,397 ration card holders were linked to only one electricity RR number and 2,62,568 ration card holders in urban areas had not declared their RR numbers and other documents the department sought for during their exercise to weed out bogus ration cards during January and February this year.

The department of food and civil supplies found that RR numbers of 43,22,327 LPG consumers matched with their consumer numbers out of 47,80,510 beneficiaries who had furnished the documents.

The state has 75,55,156 gas connections of which the department deduced that 34,05,509 were unlawful.

“We have suspended those consumers who have not turned up with their documents or have not provided the RR numbers or there is a mismatch of RR number and LPG consumer number and LPG consumers with commercial RR numbers. But we are open to them if they furnish the correct documents … or apply directly at taluk offices,” said Karandlaje.

In Bangalore (urban) alone, of 3,40,706 ration cards processed, 1,62,658 ration cards did not match with the electricity RR numbers. Of 3,66,907 LPG consumers, 1,89,667 papers of LPG consumers were processed; 1,77,240 LPG consumers did not furnish documents.

According to BA Harish Gowda, secretary to the food and civil supplies department, it is a violation of law if a consumer has one ration card and more than one gas connection or has more than one ration card in a family, according to Clause 3 of Liquified Petroleum Gas (Regulation of Supply and Distribution) Order 2000 or Clause 3 of Karnataka (Prevention of unauthorised possession of ration cards) Order 1977 or both.

“The National Informatics Centre (NIC) officers will start investigation of cases where there are mismatches and where people have furnished documents of only one ration card and one LPG connection while we have information from the distribution companies that they have more than one gas connection,” said Gowda.

He added that rural people could furnish documents through internet provided at the computers in taluk offices or through mobile services. However, the department has tie-up only with BSNL.

The investigations would begin soon and it would take 15 to 20 days in urban areas, said Karandlaje adding that the department would come up with results from towns and cities as investigation progressed.

Gowda said the department was not giving any specific time-frame for the investigations as it might lead to miscalculations and deny a legal consumer of his LPG gas or subsidised food through ration card.

He said if the family was away during investigations, the officers would return to check with them. Government officials like IAS officers would not be asked to surrender their LPG connections if they have more than one until their transfer from Karnataka.

Gowda said that in another 20 days, families which did not have ration cards and did not get food through public distribution system (PDS) would be able to apply for fresh cards online or at food supply offices in taluks.

Even families which have migrated and do not have any permanent address in Karnataka can apply for ration cards.