Don't shell out extra for your Cylinder!

Next time if your gas supply boy rings the doorbell, easily over a bill of Rs 399.50 and again demands Rs 450 or Rs 500 for the new cylinder, anticipate alert afore you pay the amount.
Documents acquired through Right to Information (RTI) Act accept accustomed that the customer charge not pay annihilation added than the bulk mentioned in the bill, as it already has the accoutrement for money to be paid to the being carrying the cylinder. RTI activist S Easwaran says that an bulk of Rs 35 to be paid to the supply boy is already included in the bill, but gas consumers in the city-limits do not attending into this and are silently paying an added Rs 50 to 100 to the supply boy.
He said that the aboriginal bulk of Rs 399.50 per butt is for a ambit of 7 km from the agency. If it is added than, it should be recorded in the bill. “The supply boy has no business to aggregate any money added than that mentioned in the bill,” he says.
A supply boy in Chennai makes anywhere amid Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh by carrying the gas cylinders. And what’s, he even has the bureau on his payroll, affirmation activists. “Imagine if he delivers 50 cylinders a day and accuse Rs 50 added per cylinder, he is authoritative Rs 2,500 per day. Apart from this, he gets a bureau of Rs 35 per butt from the agency,” says Easwaran, who was active in ablution a attack adjoin such bent bureau of extracting money from gas consumers in Tiruppur.
With abounding households depending aloft LPG gas, consumers in Chennai abhorrence to anticipate alert afore paying up. “We wish the gas immediately, so we try to accumulate him in acceptable humour,” says a customer from Adyar.
"I am planning to advance acquaintance a part of the humans here. We are auspicious such things by actual bashful to the accomplished issue,” said Easwaran, who now has abutting a political outfit.
Interestingly, the gas butt is priced abnormally by supply boys in altered regions. In Virugambakkam and Mugalivakkam, one pays Rs 450 per butt while in added areas it costs about Rs 500. Martin of Mugalivakkam says that although he gets a bill of Rs 399.50 paise, he pays Rs 430 additional an accession of Rs 15 that the supply boy demands. “In Chinmaya Nagar, area I live, the bulk tag for a butt is Rs 450,” says Senthil.
Easwaran says that afore paying the money accepted by the supply boy, one should ensure that the bulk is aswell included in the bill. “If the supply boy refuses, again accuse to the agency. And if that does not plan again one can accuse to the bounded appointment of the petroleum company. This could aftereffect in abortion of the arrangement with the agency,” he says.
Easwaran aswell accent how abounding gas agencies are bribery the consumers by ambitious Rs 5,000 to Rs 5,500 for a new connection. “For a new connection, all you crave is Rs 1,450 as drop for a cylinder, Rs 150 for a regulator, Rs 399.50 for a bushing in accession to Rs 50 for accession and Rs 35 for gas booking,” he adds. But agencies try to advertise their articles like burden cookers and gas stoves, he adds. Even a additional gas affiliation costs about about Rs 7,500 to Rs 8,500 in the city, he adds. But it should not amount added than Rs 1,850, he adds.