Consumers at an LPG supply centre in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 31: The Odisha government will ask the Centre to relax norms regarding gas connections to a single household.

Odisha food and civil supplies secretary Madhusudan Padhi said: “There has already been a lot of confusion over the Know Your Customers (KYC) form. The joint family system still prevails in this state. Here, under a single household, a number of gas connections are taken. One can’t stop gas supply to that family only on the ground that the connections have been taken under a single address. The issues will be taken up with the petroleum ministry.”

Padhi today convened a meeting of gas distributor agencies and Indian Oil officials to sort out the confusion over the form submission.

Padhi said: “We will shortly go for advertisements on the KYC, explaining people that all consumers need not submit the form. Those having multiple connections have to submit it. Those, who would submit the form, should obtain an acknowledgement from the respective gas distributor agency.”

The oil companies have extended deadline for form submission till November 15.

All gas agencies have asked consumers to submit the forms by stating that they do not have other gas connections in their names.

An official said that of 20 lakh LPG consumers, 10 per cent have multiple connections.

Padhi said those, who faced any difficulty or harassment by any distributor agency, can register their complaint through the Odisha government’s Sanjog helpline — 155335. Indian Oil’s general manager P.K. Das said: “A lot of confusion has already been created over the KYC because of miscommunication. Now, it has been clarified as to whom the KYC forms need to be submitted.”

“If consumers submit documents that they live separately under a same address, LPG connection will be provided to them. We will try to ensure that not a single LPG connection is disconnected,” said president of the Odisha LPG Distributors’ Association S.B. Mohapatra.