HARIPUR, Nov 4: Shortage of liquefied petroleum gas cylinders has caused serious problems for people here and given the dealers free hand to make more money, consumers told Dawn on Thursday.

They said they had been facing the shortage of gas since the start of Ramazan.

They said they had to wait for days to get their cylinders filled and the dealers charged price in excess to that fixed by the government. Dealers said they were facing a shortage in supply of gas.

A consumer, Juma Gul, said the government had reduced price of 11.8kg LPG cylinders from Rs465 to Rs395 but the administration had failed to ensure uninterrupted supply.

"The dealers have been given a free hand to fleece the consumers," he said.

He said dealers were charging Rs480 to Rs495 per cylinder. He also complained that the dealers did not fill the cylinders according to their capacity.

A dealer said the distributors had reduced supply and caused scarcity of the LPG in the market.

He said the local dealers needed five to 10 truckloads of cylinders daily but the wholesale dealers in Multan and Chakwal had reduced the supply to a truck carrying 250 cylinders.

He said use of the LPG in rickshaws and pick-ups was also contributing to the shortage. He said over a dozen companies were supplying gas but the shortage had not been controlled.