India: Scarcity of LPG, kerosene, artificial

Mysore – People queuing up at Public Distribution Shops, popularly known as ration shops, as early as 6 am, braving the morning chill, has become a common sight in the city. It is just to obtain the monthly quota of kerosene.

The queue is mostly made up of school-going children and elderly women. The waiting may be for 5 to 6 hours and the kerosene cart may or may not turn up. Though disappointed, the people again queue up the next day. The question not answered by anyone in the Food and Civil Supplies Department is, why this torture continues even in the present modern times?

Price disparity

The Public Distribution System (PDS) kerosene costs Rs. 9 per litre while the same in open market costs Rs. 35, a phenomenal difference! Naturally, a large fraction of kerosene earmarked for PDS gets diverted to the open market, creating an artificial scarcity. The disparity in prices plays all the trick, opines Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP).

LPG, no better

LPG or cooking gas is preferred by those above poverty line. Situation is nothing better for them either. Many families have just one cylinder and when it gets exhausted, they are forced to use kerosene as a stop-gap measure. The Government provides two litres of kerosene for them per month from PDS. Shortage of LPG adds further woes, explains Bhamy V. Shenoy, Convenor, MGP.

Star of Mysore