BELONIA, Nov 9 (TIWN): Cooking gas crisis has worsened across the state, forcing the domestic users to hit the streets protesting against the acute shortage of LPG cooking gas cylinders at Barpathari area under Belonia Sub Division Santi/Pilak Gas Agency on Monday.

 Consumers in Barpathari are severely hit by the shortage of Liquid Petroleum gas (LPG) cooking gas cylinders over past many days. As a result, black marketing is on the rise, with consumers forced to buy cylinders at prices ranging between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000 a piece. Santi/Pilak gas agency at Barpathari. Common men are paying almost more than double to buy a gas cylinder. People have been left with no option but to buy the LPG cylinder from the open market by shelling out more money. These days hundreds of people are seen standing outside the gas agencies to seek a refill and to get their cylinder. Shortage of LPG has triggered spontaneous protests in many areas across the state.Taking full advantage of the current situation, black-marketers are making money by selling a gas cylinder almost double its price in the market.

However, the consumers of Santi/Pillak gas agency alleged that a bulk of 500 cylinders has reached to the agency but the owner of the agency is playing dirty politics by not providing the cooking gas cylinders to the consumers and forcing them to buy cylinders with higher prices.

Consumers complained that gas dealers were refusing to supply subsidized gas cylinders on the existing booklet for domestic use.

The consumers who had gathered to collect refill cylinders at the l Gas agency were told that there was no LPG cylinder in the store. Upon this the consumers who were waiting since morning in long queues started to protest and blocked the Belonia-Rajnagar street.

Acute crisis of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder is still continuing in Tripura, triggering huge backlog.

The total number gas agencies are being increased to 46 while the main gas bottling plant in Bishalghar is unable to cope with the ongoing cylinder demands.

Allegedly, scarcity of LPG cylinders continues to haunt consumers, particularly in village area under South Tripura and there is no confirmed time when the problem of acute scarcity of water will come to an end.