* 56 LPG distributors soon with 14 new proposed: Chaliah
ITANAGAR | Jun 09 | Guwahati-based NE region Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) chief area sales manager Saurabh Chaliha today reiterated IOC’s commitment to penetrate LPG cylinder coverage from present 65% in Arunachal Pradesh to 90% soon.
Chaliha said that this state presently has total 42 LPG distributors across the state and 14 more would be opened soon. He along with DGM (corporate communication), eastern region marketing division Aloke Kumar Singh and other officers, arrived here today to facilitate launching of PMUY by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Union MoS (Home Affairs) Kiren Rijiju, Union MoS (Civil Supplies) here on June 11 next.
He was responding to a question that would the IOC be able to empower Arunachalees, particularly women through PMYU with existing LPG distributor agencies. “Arunachal Pradesh has been on top priority radar of IOC for which Arunachal would be forth state in North East for launching of PMUY,” he repeated what he had stated during an interaction programme with LPG distributors of Capital Complex at Nirjuli on May 11 last to improve the services to set an example by making state capital Itanagar a model town.
The PMUY, already launched in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur, is a central Govt initiative to benefit the masses particularly the downtrodden sections, Singh said, it offers connection equipment worth Rs 3,200 to BPL families with Rs 1,000 GoI subsidy and rest Rs 1,000 as loan to be recovered from cylinder cost. The PMUY aims at providing LPG connections to the women of BPL households with a target to offer 5 crore connections during three years, Singh added.
Rs 1,000, given as loan to be recovered from cylinder cost, is adoption of Chattishgarh model and the IOC has moved Assam Govt to adopt it in greater welfare of the masses, Chaliha added.
Moreover, to another question, Chaliha recalled his initiate involving then chief secretary Ramesh Negi and IOC officers including Chaliha to make a fervent appeal to the Arunachalees to surrender their LPG connections.
Applauding the media, Chaliha quoting IOC data admitted that Arunachalees had surrendered 13-14% connections within a year when rest of Indians had surrendered about 8.4% connections to ink a national record. And that is why the media had termed Arunachalees as dilwale for surrendring their connections despite challenges of this hilly state in arranging substitute for cocking, he said, adding that constant monitoring had overcome the 45 to 60 days backlog of cylinder supply at the request of Negi.
Chaliha, flanked by Kimin bottling plant senior manager S P Khrimey, Doimukh depot senior manager Mudang Tacho & North Lakhimpur area sales officer Syed Hussain, disclosed that interactive voice response system (IVRS) for booking cylinders by consumers has been made functional for the convenience of the consumers not to stand in queue for booking and a technician is expected here tomorrow to improve it further.
Uniform for staff of all Capital Complex distributors would be made mandatory to make them easily identifiable for the convenience of the consumers and the staff themselves to perform their duty without any problem, Chaliah added.
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