Indane, the dinosaur

Pet peeves of one gas consumer and how it should grow up

By DEEPA MOHAN

I received the following email from Indane (the cooking gas supply company of Indian Oil, a government agency).

Safety Instructions For LPG Customers
Here are a few tips to use your LPG in the right and safe way:
1. Take delivery of Refill only after checking the weight of the cylinder. Also check the valve or O-ring for leakage. 2. Put the Safety cap on the valve if the cylinder is not in use. 3. Use Suraksha LPG hose of ISI mark. 4. Light the ignition source before opening the burner. 5.Turn off the regulator when not in use. 6. Don’t place the cylinder in water or in a horizontal position to increase evaporation. 7. Don’t keep a refrigerator in the kitchen. 8. Always keep the Emergency Service Cell number handy.

I was both amused and angry.

1. How on earth is the ordinary, fussed person-at-home (who might have taken off from the day job) or, in several instances, the domestic help, supposed to check the weight of the cylinder? Will the gas deliveryman co-operate if this has to be done? And what if the weight is less than it should be?
2. In a busy household, this is just not possible.
3. Very often, cylinder deliverymen are happy to sign that the tube is in order in exchange for a little ‘transfer or resources’.
4. I have a gas stove which will ignite only when the gas is flowing. How do I comply with this tip?
5. This one makes sense, and I do follow it… every night. It cannot be switched off all the time in a busy household.
6. Thank you for this information, Indane. I never knew this could be done.
7. What? Have you seen the size of some of our apartments? Where do you suggest we keep the fridge? Would it not make better sense to have the gas cylinder outside, connected through the wall via the tube?
8. Is Indane able to guarantee a 24×7 response, and let’s say there is a cylinder blast, how many people will remember this? Can it not be printed on every purchase voucher?

After decades, Indane is still not able to make or sell a good gas gauge that will tell consumers how much gas remains in the cylinder or a gadget that will shut off the valve in case of a leak. Their list of ‘safety measures’ is archaic. There used to be an option for the consumer to choose a different agency if the assigned one was not to the consumer’s liking. That option has been withdrawn. Why do we have this terrible dinosaur of an organisation? How do we bring about this much-needed change?

© Oorvani Foundation/Open Media Initiative. Also available online at citizenmatters.in