News Today: Chennai: Sunday, January 14, 2018.
You do not
have to tip the LPG cylinder delivery man as the retail selling price mentioned
in the cash memo is inclusive of the charges for home delivery.
This has been
reinforced by an RTI answer obtained by Chennai resident, Seeni Sethuraman,
through an RTI petition filed in November 2017.
Troubled by
the delivery boys who were holding the people of his area, Madipakkam, to
ransom, social activist Seeni Sethuraman filed an RTI petition with Indian Oil
Corporation Ltd (IOCL). He sought answers for his queries on door delivery
charges collected by LPG delivery boys.
In his reply
on 2 January, public information officer (PIO) L K S Chauhan of Indian Oil
Corporation said, ‘The retail selling price mentioned in the cash memo is
inclusive of the charges for delivery at the home of the customer. No separate
rates are fixed for LPG distributors and delivery staff for effecting delivery.’
When the RTI
plea pointed out that so far, Rs 50 is collected as delivery charge in and
around Chennai, the PIO said customers are advised by oil companies to pay only
the amount mentioned in the cash memo.
He encouraged
customers to report to IOCL in case customers are asked to pay any charges over
and above the cash memo. But he said the
extra amount may be paid if authorised by the district authorities for beyond
the normal area of operation.
When News Today
contacted Seeni Sethuraman about the RTI petition, he said, “I filed this RTI
petition because residents are not aware of what they are paying. So far,
delivery boys collect up to Rs 50 for each delivery. Whenever a resident
questions them, the delivery man tactically answers that these rates are fixed
by so-and-so for each delivery. But the fact is nobody asks them to collect any
amount from the residents. I could not prove this without proper evidence. So,
I filed an RTI and the answers from IOCL reflected the fact.”
“For each
delivery, I pay Rs 50 extra to the delivery man. Whenever I request him to
reduce the amount to Rs 30, he refuses to. Though I would like to go to the gas
agency to collect my cylinder personally, I am unable to do so due to my work
schedule. This made me pay the exorbitant amount to the delivery boy. The
government should do something to reduce the cost,” says a resident who is
unaware that delivery men are not supposed to charge more than the cash memo.
A key
office-bearer of Lakshmi Nagar Welfare Association, Madipakkam, said, “IOCL
allots Rs 19.90 as delivery charge which will directly go the delivery person.
Despite this, delivery boys demand Rs 50 for each delivery. To curb this
daylight robbery, we have already informed the agencies about this. They had
also responded positively. These things have been clearly mentioned in the
terms and conditions of the application form we submit to the gas agency.
People should take time to go through them.”
The activist
has further planned to send copies of the RTI to residents welfare associations
to make the residents aware of the actual position with regard to delivery
charges.
According to
the reply to the RTI petition of Seeni Sethuraman, the retail price mentioned
in the cash memo received by the resident includes delivery charges. But in the
cash memo, which is an acknowledgement receipt , the gas agency does not
mention that the payment includes delivery charges. A few Chennaiites feel that
if the gas agency mentions a tag, ‘Inclusive of all (LPG cylinder amount+ delivery
charge)’, there won’t be any issues for them with delivery boys.
.JPG)
.JPG)
