Over 13 lakh LPG consumers in Telangana & Andhra Pradesh didn't buy refill last year

HYDERABAD/VISAKHAPATNAM: At least 13lakh liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumers in the two Telugu states did not avail of a single refill in 2021-22 fiscal.
While a 50% price hike over three years is being cited as the trigger, gas dealers and consumers say rising dependence on food delivery apps, dormant and multiple connections and migration of families also contributed to it.

"An LPG refill costs Rs 1,105 in Hyderabad, while it was just over Rs 500 before the Modi government came to office in 2014. The poor are often unable to afford a refill due to costs and falling incomes in the pandemic. Also, subsidy on refills has dipped to negligible levels, delivering a double blow. The monthly budget on other items too has risen," said a consumer.
Also, spike in gas prices have pushed demand for firewood in rural AP and Telangana, where over 6.5lakh and 6.2lakh consumers respectively have not gone for a single refill, as per a report tabled in Parliament recently. Federation of LPG Distributors of India head P V Rao told TOI that rural populations, which got free LPG under state's Deepam scheme or Centre's flagship Ujwala scheme, are unable to cough up over Rs 1,100 for a refill.
However, many dealers and distributors, including Greater Hyderabad LPG Distributors Association president D Ashok Kumar, said the current trend cannot be attributed to hiked prices as many families have multiple connections. They are using one connection for refills, while other connections display zero booking.
Confederation of AP Consumer Organisations chairman and former vice-chancellor, BR Ambedkar University, prof H Lajipathi Rai, said, "Rural consumers still depend on alternative fuel despite gas connections. Some maintain connections from two gas companies, while availing refills from one. Other factors like food habits, household size, cooking habits, price rise and easy availability also steer the trend. However, greater use of other fuels is not a good sign for the environment."
The query on LPG refills was raised by Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan in Rajya Sabha and he received a written reply from MoS, petroleum and natural gas, Rameswar Tiwari. As per the minister's statement, the phenomenon was not confined to Telangana alone, but for almost all states, including Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
Environmentalist J V Ratnam said, "A switchback to firewood may cause environmental degradation, which is an alarming sign. Smoke from burning firewood will also affect health."