Consumers now entitled to 5 LPG subsidized cylinders till March

GANGTOK, 22 Jan: State Trading Corporation of Sikkim [STCS] has officially notified the increase in the quota of subsidized LPG cylinders from the existing 6 to 9 cylinders per year as effective from 01 April 2013. A press release issued by the Managing Director STCS informs that for the current financial year, the remaining number of cylinder entitlement for each connection under subsidized category (September 13 2012 to March 31 2013) now stands at 5 against the three earlier.
It is further informed here that currently the service of refilling is being continued on production of the acknowledgement receipt of DGCC book issued by this office. However, the practice shall no longer be continued without the production of mandatory Blue Book confirming KYC registration as per M/s. IOCL guideline.
STCS has requested its consumers to register KYCs immediately in order to get new updated Blue Books and continued service. Those who have already submitted KYC registration forms may immediately contact STCS office at Deorali & Baiguney, as the case may be, for collection of new updated Blue-Books.
Consumers who desire to transfer their connections with their convenient Distributors may also contact the STCS office. However, transfer is not mandatory while Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India has announced its portability within the ambit of the same Oil Manufacturing Companies.
Further, the release mentions that STCS has received a number of KYC forms seeking transfer of connections from the existing names to others which is proving to be difficult in the absence of appropriate documents authenticating proof of identifications. Hence, such consumers are requested to contact STCS offices at Gangtok or Baiguney with sufficient documents that authenticate their proof of identification to enable earlier registration of such cases.
Transfer of connections issued under Janta Mela and other Government welfare schemes are not transferable unless approved by the Government, the release adds.
Those consumers with multiple connections are requested to kindly surrender the same before actions are initiated by the authorities to block such connections. It is once again informed here that as per the new regulations, only one connection with DBC per household is permissible.
This is being informed for all the future exercise that cylinders are sufficiently available but only against prior booking unlike free availability in the past though the practice might be a teething problem initially, the release further states.

KYC registration will continue even after 31 Dec, STCS clarifies

GANGTOK, 30 Dec: State Trading Corporation of Sikkim [STCS] has been working on a war-footing to complete the registration process of Know Your Customer [KYC] of its customers. STCS plans to complete the KYC registration process by the end of January next year.
The STCS had 1.20 lakh households registered with it in 2008 but after appointment of 5 private distributors by the IOC and after area demarcation, the STCS presently has 80,000 households sourcing their LPG supplies from it.
Addressing a press conference today, the STCS Managing Director, Sonam Gyamtso Pulger mentioned that STCS being the pioneer distributor of LPG in the state, it has been doing its best for the convenience of its consumers. He informed that STCS has 80% of the customers registered with it.
The Managing Director informed that KYC was a continuing process and further appealed to its consumers not to panic regarding the deadline. He clarified that the KYC registration will continue even after 31 December, however, those who do not register till 31 December will be able to get their subsidized LPG cylinders only after March next year.
The KYC process had started on 19 October. He informed that the KYC process is going on nation-wide so the network is jammed most of the time due to which the verification process of a single applicant is taking a lot of time. STCS plans to start the new connection process from February next year after completing the KYC process of the existing consumers.  
On the cap on subsidized LPG cylinders by the central government, Mr Pulger said that the concerned Ministry had decided on the quota of 6 cylinders per household and the state had no say as such on it. He further added that all distributors were also directed by the IOC to maintain the history of their consumers for the same.
“On the quota of 6 subsidized cylinders per household, the Chief Minister has already taken this matter to the Ministry of Oil and Natural Gas to increase the number of subsidized cylinders in view of the hilly terrain and geographical condition of the state,” he said.

STCS to establish LPG distribution centre in Dzongu

MANGAN, 06 Dec: There is some good news for the people of Dzongu as it is all set to get an LPG distribution centre soon. Although there are no distribution centres in the entire North district, truck loads of LPG refills were reaching places like Mangan. Consumers in Dzongu however were getting their LPG refills all the way from Gangtok given the unsure timing and date of delivery in Mangan.
During an awareness function held in Upper Dzongu yesterday, General Manager STCS, Menla Ethenpa informed that a new distribution centre will be established in Dzongu for the people of Dzongu constituency.
Mr Ethenpa interacted with the panchayats of Dzongu during the awareness session held for the people of Dzongu regarding the new system of KYC form. The STCS GM further informed that, it is mandatory to fill up the KYC form and also informed the people about the required documents to be furnished while filling up the KYC form.
The GM further added that the people of Dzongu and other parts of North Sikkim including Lachen and Lachung need not go to Gangtok to fill the KYC form as the STCS will make arrangements for the same at the Mangan community hall. The date on which this is to take place will be informed later, he added.
As requested by the Zilla Adhyaksha and public, the GM has decided to open an LPG distribution centre at Sangkalang in Upper Dzongu. This distribution centre, when set up, will cater to around 1000 consumers of Dzongu.
The awareness programme was also attended by Minister for Power cum area MLA, Sonam Gyatso Lepcha along with Zilla Adhakshya North, Anguli Lepcha, SCTS Manager, Mansing Tamang and other panchayat members.
The Zilla Adhyaksha North stated that the people of Dzongu are facing problems due to this new KYC system and further added that the people have to shell out an extra amount to get the LPG cylinders from Gangtok. She also requested the STCS for a one time distribution of LPG refills for the people of Dzongu before the Lossoong Festival which is the main festival of the people of Dzongu.
The Power Minister appealed to all the panchayats to be aware of this KYC system and explain it to the people of their respective wards and GPUs.  He further urged all the people of Dzongu to fill up this KYC form as soon as possible.
The Minister also inspected the under construction REDRH houses at Chandey for the displaced families of Bey Village who were shifted to this area after the earthquake last year washed out their village.  The Minister directed the concerned contractors and masons to deliver quality work.

Paperwork and procedures keep lines for LPG refills long

GANGTOK, 05 Dec: The LPG crisis continues in Sikkim compounded by the official persistence that all customers fill out the KYC forms, the running complaints of shortage of gas cylinders, requirement of Aadhaar numbers, multiple connections with customers still refusing to voluntarily surrender their extra connections etc.
While several hundreds of ‘multiple connections’ have been blocked by the Indian Oil Corporation in Sikkim, officials inform that only 78 ‘extra’ gas connections have been officially surrendered by consumers in the entire state till date since the process began in October.
On the seemingly perpetual problem of cylinder shortage, even as IOC officials deny any shortage, dealers here acknowledge that the’ apparent’ shortage is due to the new and rather time-consuming process recently adopted by the agency/ dealers on consumer verification. The process of acquiring a refill is taking longer, they point out, and this gives the impression of shortage.
Dealers, particularly STCS, have found a convenient way of circumventing the public outcry of gas shortage especially regarding those consumers whose connections have not yet been transferred to their area LPG dealer. People have been constantly aggrieved over the fact that their local dealers have not been supplying cylinders on time and this is due to what the IOC calls “…the tag bit long process of verification”.
For the interim, consumers are issued a coupon and sent down to Lumsey here where the IOC cylinder laden truck unloads. Consumers can pick up their refills here on producing the coupons. The consumers are made to pick their refills thereby being made to bear extra costs of transportation as well apart from this being a time consuming and circuitous process. When NOW! visited the spot today there were people from various places ranging from Ray to Tadong to Arithang.
When contacted, IOC officials denied knowledge of consumers also being asked to get their refills directly from Lumsey, Tadong.
While officials accept that consumers are facing harassment and that there are complaints, the so called new system, they claim, is the reason for the slow supply or refills of gas cylinders. Under this new regime, every refill is verified not only for what it is but also whether it is from the subsidized or non subsidized category and the number of such refills already taken and the number of subsidized refills left.
Then again this is crosschecked from any multiple connections that the consumer may or may not have. Only then is the next refill allotted. The people of Gangtok can make it down to Lumsey, Tadong but for areas like North Sikkim the people have no other option but to wait for the truck with the refills and as the Indane portal displays, STCS for example, which is the sole distributor for Jorethang circle had its last refill delivery date on 31 October. STCS which has the largest number of consumers in Gangtok as well had its last refill delivery date here on 05 November.
So the public has to take time out not just to fill out and submit their respective KYC forms but to get their LPG refills as well from way outside the Gangtok bazaar area as well as bear the extra cost. While this is getting to be a nightmare for the consumers, IOC officials say that this should not continue for long and matters should get back to normal once the new process has been absorbed and all KYC forms submitted.
As officials inform, KYC forms were actually introduced by the IOC in the month of July. The rush began only in October when the central government announced a cap on the number of subsidized cylinders, announced various categories of prices of cylinders, Aadhar numbers as basis of obtaining connections and the ban on multiple connections.

No supply shortage, Kamala Indane states

GANGTOK, 05 Dec: As consumers in the state struggle to get through all the paper work and make sense of the newly introduced cap on supply of subsidized LPG cylinders, confusion on whether there is a possible shortage of supply is also doing the rounds. However, one agency in the capital has clarified that there is no such shortage.
“There is no shortage of domestic LPG cylinders [subsidized and non subsidized] at least for our customers in the areas demarcated to us by the Indian Oil Corporation [IOC],” informed Pema Namgyal [Proprietor, Kamala Indane Gas Agency], situated at Tibet Road here in Gangtok, while speaking to NOW! today.
“As only three [this year’s quota] refills can be taken now [at subsidized rates], consumers have to produce the bluebook which includes the membership code and after checking how refills have been taken, we issue them a coupon and the person can collect the cylinder”, he explains.
It is just that there is restriction because of the subsidy, otherwise people are receiving their gas cylinders as and when they want a refilled cylinder, he said and added that one truck load [sometimes two] of LPG cylinders under the agency’s name for distribution to its customers is/ are brought on a daily basis from the Rangpo IOC plant.
Speaking on the issue of the extra Rs. 19 charged by the agency, he informed that the agency had been authorized to collect the money as surcharge by the Food and Civil Supply Department.
There is a notification given by the department, which states that an agency can collect an amount of Rs. 19 from its customer as surcharge [loading, unloading, labour charges] but within a 10 kilometer radius, he stated and added that this amount increases by Rs. 5 for every additional 10 kilometers.
“We are the only agency that puts a stamp of having collected Rs. 19 from the customer in the cash memo”, said Mr Namgyal.
Meanwhile, the other gas agencies in the Capital were unavailable for comments.

KYC forms to verify addresses, explain officials

GANGTOK, 05 Dec: The KYC forms, which are actually meant only for those with multiple connections, are being propped up as a possible solution to the problem of verification of addresses. In this regard, officials state that all consumers here in Sikkim are being made to submit KYC forms since many residential addresses of consumers have not been accurately provided or recorded.
However it has to be mentioned that all addresses in the state are vague especially without the convenience of a house numbering system. So it is still an open question whether people can detail their addresses better than they already have.
The IOC has been blocking connections phase wise on the basis of the KYC details. This has been broken down to several phases. First to face blockages are those connections with same names and same addresses; then come those connections with different names but same address and finally comes those with incomplete addresses.
Given the non existent system of recording addresses in Sikkim, especially in rural areas, people as well as authorities are bound to face a nightmare and it is hard to comprehend how this can be sorted out. Even multiple connections can have an explanation, for example the Gangtok Commandant of a paramilitary unit here has 10 connections from STCS in his name and address and all are still active. These are obviously not  for his individual use, but a convenient and practical option worked out for the personnel. Exact figures were not available but it has been informed that a few hundred connections have been blocked by the IOC. This includes connections issued by various dealers including STCS.
It may be informed here that several dealers have either deactivated or suspended numerous multiple connections while some remain active apparently based on information submitted in the KYC forms.

Mangan and surrounding areas face LPG supply shortage

MANGAN, 01 Nov: For the last ten days, LPG consumers of Mangan bazaar, Pakshep, Singhik and surrounding areas have been facing a shortage in domestic and commercial LPG cylinder supply.
The STCS had sent 180 cylinders before the Dusshera break and this was distributed to Upper-Singhik and Pentok consumers, but consumers of the rest of the area have not been able to get their refilled cylinders. Meanwhile, an LPG vehicle was sent only for Chungthang and Toong today.
The public of Mangan and surrounding areas have demanded that LPG refills be supplied on a rotation basis so that the people did not have to wait for more than a week. Consumers here have expressed that if STCS was unable to ensure timely supply on government subsidized rates, then consumers should at least be provided with the cylinders on the non-subsidized rate of Rs 1,071, which too is not available.
Meanwhile, the Sikkim Bihari Jagaran Manch, Mangan branch has submitted an application to the area MLA, TW Lepcha on the LPG supply problem faced by the general public of North district.

Pentok consumers complain of delayed and insufficient LPG refills

MANGAN, 14 Oct: Everyday for the last four days LPG consumers from the Pentok area of Mangan were lining up for hours on end to get their LPG cylinders replaced. The supply, however, only got here today from Gangtok with 180 refilled cylinders at Rs 460 per cylinder while there were more than 270 consumers waiting in line.
The 180 cylinders were distributed today while those who did not get their LPG cylinders were informed that another batch will arrive soon, however, no date for delivery has been fixed as yet. STCS, which is in charge of the entire North district, assured the public here that one more vehicle with 200 cylinders will arrive within a week.
The public feel that the area MLA and the concerned Ward Nagar Panchayats should take initiatives to manage the LPG supply and ensure timely and regular supply in the future. The public of Mangan have also demanded for an LPG store to be set up which should be run by a society. The STCS should give permission to run this distribution centre which will have to stock at least 150 LPG cylinders for the public’s convenience, they feel.
On the other hand, the teachers of Mangan and surrounding areas have demanded for a teachers’ quota as classes are being affected while the teachers are out to get their refilled cylinders.
For information on the next date for LPG cylinder distribution at Pentok area, consumers can contact: +91-8768886680.

STCS to launch renewal process of LPG consumer documents in West Sikkim

“NO CRISIS BUT PROPER DOCUMENTATION NEEDED FOR IMPROVED DISTRIBUTION”
GANGTOK, 24 May: The State Trading Corporation of Sikkim [STCS] is all geared up to improve and organise the distribution of LPG cylinders for the West District inclusive of Jorethang area within the second week of June. It is informed that there are about a total of 23,000 beneficiaries or customers of STCS in the West District including Jorethang but lack of proper documentation or illegal consumption has given rise to a crisis in the supply of LPG cylinders.
Speaking to NOW! today, Managing Director [MD] STCS, Gyamtso Pulger stated that unauthorized consumption, improper documentation of  existing consumers had resulted in the present crisis in West Sikkim. The STCS inclusive of the local administrators carried out a survey and according to the survey it was found that consumers lacked proper documents.
The survey carried out also highlighted the problem of incomplete documents following which STCS is all set to start the renewal process of documents to know the number of actual consumers and the supply required.
Mr Pulger mentioned that as per the policy framed by Indian Oil Corporation Limited [IOCL] no consumer is entitled to a LPG refill in the absence of proper documents and blue book. He went on to say that no black marketing as such were traced in the West District and appealed to all consumers to cooperate with STCS in carrying out the exercise being planned to organise and improve the supply of LPG cylinders.
Mr Pulger iterated that consumers who have lost their blue book or subscription receipt issued earlier with the connection need to file an FIR at the nearest police station and fill up a form available with the distributor for availing fresh, proper and up-to-date documents to continue receiving unhindered supply of LPG refilled cylinders.
On the current status of refilled LPG cylinder supply to the West District, Mr Pulger informed that, two trucks loaded with a total of 524 refilled cylinders from IOC plant is being unloaded at Jorethang godown on a daily basis and there exists no crisis like situation at all. However, he added that the supply of cylinders also depends on the availability of refilled cylinders in the bottling plant.
Adding more, he explained that the demand for new LPG connection in the West District and Jorethang persists but the issuance of the same totally rests with the IOC. So until and unless the new connections are issued by the IOC, distributors operating across the state cannot supply the same.

Administration takes up LPG supply requirements with IOC

GANGTOK, 23 June [IPR]: In view of the media report on the hue and cry of the public over the inadequate LPG cylinders in the last few months, a series of meetings have been held by the Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Department both with the LPG distributors and IOC officials from Siliguri, Kolkata and Mumbai to address the problem.
A meeting was also held in the chamber of the Chief Secretary on 19 May with the Executive Director, IOCL, Mumbai and Deputy General Manager of the IOCL, Kolkata. A number of issues were raised namely the requirement of refilled LPG cylinder in the State both domestic as well as commercial, storage of buffer stock at the plant and immediate commissioning of the enhanced capacity of 200 MTs at the Bagey Khola refilling Plant.

IOC racks up storage capacity to 21,000 cylinders

MONSOON VAGARIES SHOULD NOT TROUBLE KITCHENS THIS SEASON
GANGTOK, 16 June: This monsoon, LPG consumers in the State can expect some relief as the LPG refilling plant at Majitar, Rangpo is now equipped with a capacity to store 21,000 cylinders at a time instead of the earlier 7,000.
Speaking to NOW!, STCS Managing Director, S. Gyamptso Pulger, said, “Now the refilling plant has increased its storing  capacity and is also arranging for buffer stocks. There should not be scarcity during monsoon.”
At present, according to Mr. Pulger, the supply is running normal as the refilling plant has almost cleared its backlog carried over from February to April.

DC takes stock of LPG supply situation

IOC SETS UP NEW UNIT WITH 23,000 CYLINDER CAPACITY; HOTELIERS DIRECTED TO STOP PUTTING DOMESTIC CYLINDERS TO COMMERCIAL USE
SUBASH RAI
GANGTOK, 05 May: District Collector [East], D. Anandan has issued strict directions to the concerned authorities to ensure uninterrupted and adequate supply of LPG cylinders to consumers in the district. This, in response to complaints reaching his office that refills for domestic LPG cylinders were getting hard to come by. Officials at the District Administrative Centre [East] add that this action was also suo moto in light of the long queues of LPG expectant across town.
This, Mr. Anandan, told an emergency meeting conveyed by him at the District Control Room, MG Marg, on 03 May with representatives of the LPG distributors, including STCS, officials of the IOC and Food and Civil Supplies Department and members of the Sikkim Hotels and Restaurants Association.
The meeting was convened to ascertain the reasons behind the shortage of LPG refills in the recent weeks and came to the conclusion that this was a ‘temporary shortage’ caused because of the three-day continuous shut down of the LPG plant at Rangpo because of the West Bengal elections and observation of fire safety week by the IOC.