LAHORE, Jan 11: The City District Government Lahore (CDGL) and the LPG Association of Pakistan (LPGAP) have doubled their joint efforts against LPG distributors and retailers involved in black-marketing of the gas.

LPGAP spokesman Fasih Ahmed told APP here on Friday that CDGL and LPGAP inspection teams were conducting spot checks to expose and punish LPG distributors and decanters making huge money through black-marketing.

The LPGAP, a grouping of all LPG marketing companies, received 400 complaints in this connection while action had been taken against at least 100 distributors and retailers, he said. “The complaints figure shows how vast the LPG distributors mafia is,” he observed.

Ahmed also thanked the CDGL for ensuring relief to LPG consumers and requested it to increase fines from Rs2,000 to Rs15,000 as LPG distributors and retailers were earning illegal profit of Rs 80,000 per tonne.

As the LPG demand increases during winter, 2,500 tonnes of LPG has already been imported, while an equal quantity would reach this month.

Ahmad, however, added that some so-called “spokesmen” were hiding their dirty deeds through fabrications, as the LPG demand was not too high to justify consumer prices at Rs95 up to Rs130 per kilogramme.

“End-consumer prices must not be more than Rs63 to 65 per kilogramme under any circumstances,” he added.

He said it was unfortunate that LPG distributors were exploiting the Thursday suicide attack in Lahore to continue selling product at prices higher than fixed by LPG marketing companies and the Oil and

Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).

Ahmed, however, admitted that some LPG marketing companies were not complying with Ogra directives to maintain reasonable prices.

He said that one of the LPGAP member companies permanently cancelled the agencies of nine distributors in Lahore alone.

He said a media campaign to help raise public awareness about actual LPG prices would be launched this week.

Ahmed said: “We appeal to the public to inform the police and media if any distributor or retailer charge them more than Rs 63-65 per kilogram anywhere in Pakistan.” — APP