E-Paper
Panchkula: Delivery of underweight LPG cylinder invites ₹3-lakh penalty
A complaint was filed by Ranjeet Singh, 64, of Kona village, Kalka, Panchkula, after an underweight gas cylinder was delivered to him on July 1, 2020
Delivering an LPG cylinder, which was 3.7kg short in weight, to a 64-year-old resident of Kalka has led to a Panchkula-based gas company and its authorised supplier being penalised for “unfair trade practices”, inviting a ₹3 lakh penalty.
“On account of its indulgence into unfair trade practice,” the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Panchkula, directed gas dealer—Ashirwad Gas Agency, Sector 16, Panchkula—to pay ₹2 lakh and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Lalru, to pay ₹1 lakh as punitive damages to the poor patient welfare fund (PPWF) through the director, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh.
A complaint was filed by Ranjeet Singh, 64, of Kona village, Kalka, Panchkula, after an underweight gas cylinder was delivered to him on July 1, 2020. In its order, the district consumer commission directed the distributor and gas company “to refrain from adopting any unfair trade practice in future”.
While disposing off the complaint, district consumer commission held, “As per LPG guidelines 2018, the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Lalru, is duty bound to supervise and oversee the working of their dealers qua delivery of services to their respective consumers.”
“Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Lalru, cannot be permitted to ignore or overlook the irregularities as committed by its dealers. In the present case, no periodical checkup/inspection report, which is to be carried out by the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Lalru, has been placed on record to show that the duty as mandated under law was performed by it. It seems that quarterly and monthly inspection was never carried out by officials concerned of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Lalru, to check and oversee the working of Ashirwad Gas Agency, Sector 16, Panchkula,” read the order.
The gas agency was directed to pay a compensation of ₹20,000 and ₹5,500 to the complainant on account of mental agony and harassment, and litigation charges, respectively. The commission also directed the gas agency to ensure that its delivery person supplies the LPG cylinder, having the correct/proper weight, after carrying out the process of weighment in the presence of the consumers at his/her door step.
No such complaint was ever received: Gas agency
The gas agency said no such complaint alleging the delivery of underweight LPG cylinder to the consumer was ever received and gas cylinder of proper weight had been delivered by the delivery person. The LPG cylinder in question was replaced with another cylinder on July 3, 2020.
Meanwhile, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Lalru, contended that the LPG cylinders, having correct weight and duly certified seal intact, were supplied to the authorised dealer. It was further argued that the cylinder in question, which was weighed by the inspector of metrology legal department did not have its seal intact and thus, no reliance can be placed on the measurement report of the inspector qua the shortage of 3.7kg gas in LPG cylinder.
Box: DC directed to crack down against defaulting gas agencies
In the order, the Panchkula deputy commissioner (DC) was directed to take adequate and necessary steps against defaulting LPG dealers, who indulge in such unfair trade practices.
The district consumer commission also directed the director of food civil supplies and consumer affairs department Haryana and the district food supplies controller, Panchkula, to ask the inspector of the legal metrology department to take adequate and necessary steps against defaulting LPG dealers under intimation to the commission.
Further, the director was directed to submit the report on the action taken by the inspector against defaulting LPG distributors to the commission.
