Fuel acronym pie: After CNG, illegal LPG decanting thriving

Illegal LPG distribution rampant in Pindi, consumer rights group warns prices may hike soon.

RAWALPINDI: The risky and illegal practice of decanting liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from large cylinders to smaller ones is thriving despite claims by the officials and city administration that action had been taken against those involved. 

As the demand for LPG has increased during winter due to cut in supply and pressure of gas for domestic users, so does the practice of illegal decanting. More over, getting firewood is also becoming harder, especially for using in smaller houses.

LPG is being sold in the open market through decanting by vendors without any licences or permission.

One reason for the illegal practice is that the cost of the larger cylinders is beyond the purchasing power of most of the common people.

“A standard cylinder weighing 11.8kg costs Rs1,800 — over Rs150 per kg. It is not affordable for the poor, who are forced to purchase it in smaller quantities,” said Khush Gul Khan, who lives in Bangash Colony near Pirwadhai.

More fuel is needed in the cold days and residents prefer to buy 5kg cylinders of LPG, Khan said.

The business is lucrative for small shopkeepers as they charge more than the fixed prices of the commodity and do not need any extra investment to make a profit from decanting.

“The shopkeepers have a donkey-pump to extract and refill gas in smaller cylinders and equipment to weight the LPG before selling it,” said the owner of a tyre shop at Pirwadhai Road.

Most such decanters run their shops near mechanics’ workshops or small restaurants at Pirwadhai, Asghar Mall and adjoining areas.

Almost like clockwork, the city police issue press statements detailing operations against decanters in different areas with criminal cases registered against the dealers and confiscation of their tools. However, a look at different refilling shops in thickly populated localities on Saturday revealed that the risky operations continue to be in vogue.

Meanwhile, Rawalpindi District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saquib Zafar said no one was being allowed to sell or decant LPG without authorisation.

He said the city police had been taking action against the decanters.

However, when his attention was drawn towards certain localities where the illegal activity continues, the head of district government said assistant commissioners would carry out fresh inspections and clamp down on the activity.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2013.