Jamshedpur, Jan. 12: The “no entry” of heavy vehicles into the city could soon lead to a “no supply” of gas cylinders.

If the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) officials are to be believed, the steel city might be heading for an LPG crisis in the near future.

The senior functionaries of IOCL maintain that the cylinder-laden trucks are not able to enter the city during the day, which is hampering its distribution.

According to IOCL officials, earlier, the “no entry” timings introduced by the administration was from 9.30 am to to 2 pm and 5 pm to 9.30 pm.

Although the timings did not hamper the distribution in a major way, the IOCL officials had written to the administration requesting an exemption from this rule.

A senior IOCL official, on condition of anonymity, pointed out: “The administration had exempted it then but now the new timings (1 pm to 9 pm) bans vehicle during our peak hours. Our bottling plant is at Gamharia and out of 30 only a few trucks manage to enter the city within the little time, which is hampering the distribution.”

Officials further added, that while the trucks carrying the empty cylinders are stuck inside the city for long durations, those with full cylinders are are not able to venture inside the city premises.

The IOCL has also initiated talks with the district administration and the latter had reportedly assured them that they would look into the matter, but nothing has been done as yet,a senior official pointed out.

When contacted, R.N. Mullick, a senior IOCL official told The Telegraph: “There is nothing to worry as of now, but distribution is getting hampered owing to the new “no entry” timings. And if this continues, we might face some problems.”

IOCL officials said they have also been receiving complaints from many customers regarding the late distribution of cylinders.

Meanwhile, the district administration officials refused to acknowledge the fact that there would be a crisis, due to the new “no entry” timings.

Nitin Madan Kulkarni, deputy commissioner of East Singhbhum pointed out: “There is no crisis. We are aware of the situation and are constantly monitoring it. We would initiate steps if things get out of hand.”

District administration officials also pointed out that such rules are there in every part of the country.

“Likewise, they (IOCL) can also find a solution here. They might have been exempted earlier, but we would look into the matter first and then come to a conclusion,” an official of the district administration pointed out.