The city-based Gas and Ration Consumers Forum said in a statement in Mangalore on Monday that LPG consumers and ration card holders have been facing a variety of problems and confusions.
A survey by the forum found that consumers were anguished and they were not getting LPG refills even 30 days after booking, and when the cylinder was delivered, they did not get cash bills. LPG distributors were not attending to calls or behaved rudely with callers, it said. The distributors were taking more money than mandated from consumers.
People did not know whom to complain and were silently bearing the inefficiencies. Similarly, the forum said its survey found that gas agencies were threatening consumers to provide their Aadhaar number and link it with their bank account to get LPG subsidy though the Supreme Court ruled the unique identification number was not mandatory for availing subsidy.
The Gas and Ration Consumers Forum urged the legislators to organise public-contact meetings in the presence of officials every three months in their jurisdictions.
