Hyderabad, April 3: In a move to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG, the Telangana civil supplies department has seized over 3,699 illegal domestic LPG cylinders as of Friday, officials said.
The department has also seized 70 smaller cylinders. All the cylinders were seized between March 12 and April 3.
According to an official statement, the value of the seized property is Rs. 1.10 crore.
A total of 1,275 cases have been filed under Section 6A of the Essential Commodities Act. Officials said 216 FIRs have been registered.
Under Section 6A of the Essential Commodities Act, district Collectors are empowered to confiscate essential commodities if hoarding and black marketing are suspected.
Authorities are taking action in cases where domestic LPG cylinders are found to be used for commercial purposes.
The civil supplies department has already assured people that there is no shortage of domestic LPG, but warned that any misuse would attract stringent action.
Consumers have also been advised against panic booking, as this disrupts the smooth functioning of the delivery system.
On average, public-sector oil marketing companies Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) supply about 2.15 lakh LPG cylinders in the state every day.
Civil supplies minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has already clarified that petroleum product stocks are more than adequate for three months. This clarification came after panic buying of petrol and diesel at outlets across the state a few days ago.
However, the state is facing a shortage of auto LPG, causing severe hardships to auto-rickshaw drivers.
On March 31, he sent a letter to Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, requesting an urgent additional supply of auto LPG to the state to overcome the daily deficit.
He wrote that the state is currently facing a daily shortage of 55 MTs.
Stating that the auto LPG segment in the state has been significantly impacted, Reddy wrote that this has hit nearly one lakh auto-rickshaws plying on LPG, disrupting public transport services and affecting the livelihoods of auto drivers and their families.