Made to pay for Ujjwala connections, locals hold stir

Gorakhpur: Residents of ward number 19 in Gorakhpur on Thursday protested against a gas agency in Katari village which allegedly duped them into paying for Ujjwala gas connection.

A number of women along with a few men reached the district supply officer Anand Kumar Singh’s office with banners and raised slogans against Anupam Indane Gas Agency in Katrari village under Belipar police station.

As per their complaint, they were made to pay Rs 1642 for an Ujjwala gas connection and were told that they won’t get the connection if they didn’t pay.

Singh assured them of strict action against the agency after probe.

“A group of people from ward number 19 reached us with a complaint that Anupam Gas Agency extracted money from them on the pretext of providing LPG connection under the central government-run Ujjwala scheme. As per the scheme, women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) are given the LPG connection for free. Rather than giving the gas connections for free, the agency charged Rs1700-1800 per connection,” Singh told TOI.

“I have constituted an investigating team and if the allegation is found to be true after probe, case under Section 3/7 of Essential Commodity Act will be registered against the agency,” he added.

The gas agency could not be contacted even after repeated efforts.