LAHORE, Nov 7: The Liquefied Petroleum Gas Distributors Association has demanded duty-free import of LPG to check undue profiteering by the producers and marketing companies.

Voicing the demand at a press conference here on Tuesday, association chairman Irfan Khokhar and other office-bearers said the LPG producers and marketing companies had pocketed undue profits of Rs6.09 billion during the past six months by raising the retail price from Rs34 to Rs56 per kg.

The price had now fallen to Rs45 per kg owing to fall in demand as the domestic consumers had been forced to resume use of wood and rickshaw drivers petrol.

They said duty-free import of LPG was the only way to check undue profiteering by the producers and distribution companies.

They said the impression that LPG prices had shot up owing to its shortage was wrong. The country was producing 1,648 metric tons of LPG daily for an equal demand. The production was expected to exceed 2,000 metric tons in the near future. The gas was being sold at exorbitant rates only due to undue profiteering by producers and marketing companies. They were being allowed to fleece the consumers unceremoniously because of the failure of the government to have a check on them. —Reporter