Question : PILFERAGE OF LPG

(a) whether large scale pilferage of LPG is being done from the cylinders both in rural and urban areas of the country ;

(b) if so, whether the Government is also aware of the illegal business of refilling of small cylinders from big LPG cylinders ;

(c) if so, whether the public sector oil marketing companies have failed to check the pilferage of gas despite repeated complaints from the consumers ;

(d) if so, the action taken by the Government against those involved in the pilferage of LPG during each of the last three years ; and

(e) the concrete measures being taken to check pilferage of LPG ?

MINISTER OF PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS ( SHRI MURLI DEORA )

(a) to (e) : A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 394 BY SHRI KAMLA PRASAD RAWAT TO BE ANSWERED ON 11TH MAY, 2006 REGARDING PILFERAGE OF LPG

(a) & (b) : While no case of any large scale pilferage of LPG from cylinders has come to the notice of the Government, the Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) have reported that there have been some instances of pilferage from filled cylinders, which have been detected at their distributors` premises.

(c ) to (e) : As and when complaints of pilferage of LPG are received by the OMCs, they are investigated by them and in all established cases, action is taken against the LPG distributors under the provisions of Marketing Discipline Guidelines (MDG), 2001 and / or Distributorship Agreement (DA). The MDG provide for a fine for the first two established cases of pilferage and for termination of the distributorship for the third established case against any distributor. During the last three years, OMCs have reported 48 established cases of pilferage of LPG and action of penalty/termination against the LPG distributors has been taken in accordance with the Marketing Discipline Guidelines or the Distributorship Agreement. The year-wise details of established cases over the last three years is as follows :

Year	Number of cases
2003-04	11	2004-05	20	2005-06	17