The fractious functiong of LPG agencies
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 19 2011 -

THE CENTRAL Public Information Officer (CPIO) who is also Deputy General Manager (LPG), AC Sharma has let the cat out of the bag. Gas agencies in Manipur normally take Rupees Four Thousand and Three Hundred more than the normal charge to get a new LPG connection.

In total contravention of the official terms and conditions which clearly state otherwise, gas agencies also charge Rupees One Thousand to issue a LPG ownership card, further pipes and regulators are not issued to owners of new connections as against the mandatory provisions.

Anything new in this? None whatsoever, its a story as old as the hills.

But why do gas agencies commit this injustice? One feels the answer is connected with the fact that within a remarkably short span of time we have created a society which is rotten to the core.

These days people consider young men and women to have earned their wings only when they have comprehended the dynamics of our corruption riddled society, and then within that warped framework learn to beat the perpetrators of corruption in their game.

As a general rule people accept as success only those acts which earn money through dubious means. Even elders who know better will tell you to 'live with the times' and to 'swim with the tide'. The place and the times we live in. As the Manipur song goes, 'if you wish to lead a straight life, be prepared to be starved.'

But enough of this digression, the gas agencies better start owning up their crooked ways. Repeat to yourselves a hundred times each morning 'I will not cheat others to get ill gotten gains'.

Remember the ones you cheat are more often than not the meekest of the lot. In the hall of fame of the crooks you might have found a niche but there are many people who know you for what you are worth.

In the present times for lack of better alternatives LPG is more environmentally friendly than using firewood or charcoal to run a kitchen. In order to preserve our environment the authority has been making a conscious and deliberate attempt to encourage its use particularly in the rural and remote areas. So let's not spoil the scene.

In this context the IOC too has its share of responsibility. It can and should act against the errant gas agencies.

It should not wait for legalities and should immediately warn gas agencies that they could face punitive action if complaints with enough prima facie evidence come up against them. If the IOC chooses to remain silent people could construe it being a partner in a murky deal. There should be no cutting of corners.

Deprived of a good quality of life, (not necessarily being rich) the people in Manipur in the valley, and particularly so in the hills deserve a better way of life, one not dictated by cheats and frauds.