Government launches web-portal to curb LPG black-marketing

In a bid to curb black-marketing of domestic cooking gas, the government Friday launched a web-portal that will empower nearly 14 crore users of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) to monitor their booking status, consumption pattern and other details.

The new portal called “LPG transparency portal” carries details of booking and delivery date, LPG usage patterns, subsidies and details about distributors and other information affecting consumers.

The LPG Transparency portal can be accessed through the official website of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas:  www.petroleum.nic.in.

The new portal is also hosted in the websites of government-run oil marketing companies - Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum.

“Through a single click, consumers can now know their individual pattern of LPG usage, LPG booking status, LPG refill history or request for surrender of their connection, highest consumption consumers, subsidy availed etc,” Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas S.

Jaipal Reddy told reporters after launching the new portal here.

The information on the portal can also be sorted by consumer number, consumer name and by distributors’ name easily.

This initiative is expected to emerge as a powerful tool for social audit for all domestic LPG supplies.

“This portal not only benefits consumers but is also a unique resource for civil society to access LPG distribution information, report discrepancies and register their feedback on the anomalies in supply, if any,” according to a statement issued by the oil ministry.
 
To enable the oil marketing companies to improve their services, the portal also gives opportunity to consumers to rate the services of their LPG distributor, thus helping the oil companies to focus on areas of improvement and enhance consumer satisfaction.

By informing, educating and empowering LPG consumers across India, the transparency of information on the websites is intended to make all the “stakeholders accountable, thus leading to a just and equitable distribution of the subsidised LPG fuel,” the statement said. 

Nearly 14 crore households across India covering urban, semi-urban and even rural India are expected to benefit from this initiative, it said.