Margherita Residents Demand Action Over LPG Delivery Delays and Safety Concerns

Guwahati: Residents of Margherita, Assam, are fed up with M/S Margherita Gas Supply. They face repeated booking cancellations, months-long wait times for refills, and mysterious gaps in supply. Crowds gathered at the agency throughout Wednesday, with some waiting until 4:45 pm to get answers about missing cylinders. One frustrated customer questioned the supply chain, asking: "If consignments from the Digboi Gopaneri bottling plant are being ensured smoothly, then where are these cylinders going?"

Consumers pointed to the recent license termination of the nearby Navajyoti Gas Agency over black marketing claims as a warning sign. They also flagged the dangerous placement of the company's LPG godown. The storage site sits in a crowded residential and commercial hub at Verner Mill Bazar, barely 100 meters from the retail outlet. Visitors noted a distinct lack of safety infrastructure, a sharp contrast to the isolated, secure facility used by the Digboi M/S Petro Gas Agency.

Authorities finally moved in on Thursday. Co-District Commissioner K. N. Chandana Jahnavi arrived to find the usual queue of desperate customers. She set a firm deadline of October 2 for the agency to clear every pending delivery, promising harsh consequences for any further foot-dragging. An LPG Marketing official also scrutinized the situation, questioning why artificial shortages persist when customers already pay for doorstep delivery. Officials are now under pressure to verify the godown's compliance with fire safety and storage laws.