In an endeavour to ensure hassle-free and easy availability of cooking gas, oil marketing company Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) has joined hands with Khidmat centers across the state, who will be soon retailing 5 kilogram LPG cylinders.
The announcement for the new retail venture was announced during a business tie-up between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (Jammu LPG Regional Office) and Khidmat Ventures Public Limited was undertaken on Thursday.
As a part of the memorandum of understanding, Khidmat Ventures Limited will be responsible for marketing and sale of the cooking gas cylinder for which consumers will not be required to furnish any documents said Aijaz Ahmad Kachroo, Chief Regional Manager, HPCL.
“Khidmat Ventures will be the channel partners of HPCL for marketing of this cylinder. This pact has been inked keeping in mind the requirement of LPG in the remotest of the areas in the state. The cylinder will help to keep check on authorized usage of portable small cylinders available in the market,” Kachroo said. Kachroo said this 5 kg cylinder is priced at Rs 1360 which includes the cost of the cylinder and each refill will cost the consumers around Rs 415 (subject to market price of LPG). “In our rural areas a lot of people are dependent on traditional ‘chulas’ etc which is not very convenient and causes adverse health conditions such as breathing problems for the ones using it. The fact that Khidmat center is located in even far flung areas, we expect people to avail benefit of buying these cylinders,” Kachroo said.
According to HPCL officials, the aim of making the 5 Kg cylinders available at every possible place in the valley and rest of the state is to provide LPG at the door step of the consumer with “utmost safety precautions”.
“It is often that LPG is refilled by roadside vendors from large cylinders to the 5 kg cylinder which is quite risky. At the same time these cylinders are cost effective also,” said an official. He said the main beneficiaries of the 5 kg cylinder would be the “floating” migrant population, students, people going for excursions etc. “Every summer we have thousands of people who visit the Kashmir valley for almost six to eight months for various jobs such as masons, plumbers, electricians etc. These people are in need of cooking gas and we are hopeful that hassle-free availability of 5 kg cylinder would be of convenience to them,” said Hamid Bulbul, Area Manager, Sales, Udhampur sales area, HPCL.
“These can also be used for heating purpose as small size gas heaters are now available in market which are very handy and portable. Senior citizens who are not in a position to lift the bigger size 14.2 Kg cylinders, students who take rented accommodation and truckers who are always on the move.”
Among others present at the event was Mohammad Idrees Wani, Area Sales Manager, Srinagar Sales area, Prince Singh, Senior Plant Manager, Pampore LPG Plant and dealer faternity of HPCL.