The Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Distributors Association has urged the government to make measures for provision of gas at affordable price to consumers who are already grappling to make ends meet.
“An illegal increase in LPG price is like a thunderbolt for the consumers who hardly meet basic expenses of their households. So, the government should work out remedial measures to arrest the unbridled trend in LPG prices which are on rising trajectory these days,” the association’s chairman Irfan Khokhar said on Tuesday.
He said the marketing companies passed undue prices onto the common consumers by creating artificial gas shortage or they sold locally produced LPG at imported one.
He said the OGRA was supposed to take action against marketing companies which were involved in unfair business practices and extend relief to consumers.
But unfortunately, he added, the regulatory authority had taking no action and those unethical business forces were brazenly pocketing extra money through illegal practices in LPG market.
Similarly, marketing companies did not import prescribed quota of LPG, leading to widening supply and demand gap of LPG in the country. He said the association had prepared a summary spelling out approach to offset shocks in LPG market and maintain the commodity’s price at affordable range for the consumers throughout the year.
He said several rounds of the meetings had already been held with concerned officials to discuss the guidelines and proposals to thrash out strategy for implementation.
He said the current local production stood at 1600 tons per day and its demand had soared to 3,000 tons per day, necessitating for the government to put matters of LPG market in order and extend relief to consumers.
He said the demand was likely to further exceed if domestic sector was not supplied with smooth gas supply in peak winter season. He was of the view that hefty duties and taxes on LPG import was also an impediment to the government’s efforts to ensure its stocks at adequate level.