Don’t accept a gas cylinder if the deliveryman doesn’t weigh it for you at your doorstep.

Alarmed at complaints about volume shortage in LPG cylinders, oil companies have warned consumers to get the contents weighed.

“All deliverymen will carry a spring balance with them while taking cylinders to households,’’ said A.C. Dey, deputy general manager (LPG), Indian Oil Company (IOC).

“We have information that some do not follow the rules, and often we receive complaints about content shortage. So, we urge our consumers to get the cylinder weighed by the deliveryman,” Dey added.

If he refuses to comply, a complaint can be lodged with the IOC consumers’ cell.

Dey assured consumers that refusal to accept a cylinder need not spell denial. LPG stocks are aplenty and available on demand, he said.

The weigh-the-cylinder move follows a raid conducted recently by the consumer affairs department on an LPG dealer’s godown in Barasat, where the inspectors found several cylinders containing less volume of gas than specified.

“The raid came in the wake of complaints from local residents. Of 32 cylinders, we found 28 containing less volume of gas. The shortfall varied from 400g to 1,200g,’’ said controller of legal metrology, consumer affairs department, Ashok Bhattacharya.

“We have slapped a penalty of Rs 5,000 and asked the dealer not to supply those cylinders to customers,” Bhattacharya added.

For domestic LPG cylinders, the net gas content should be 14.2 kg and according to the rules, the weight must be stamped prominently on the cylinders.

“The price of an LPG cylinder has gone up to nearly Rs 300, so a shortfall of a kg means a loss of Rs 22. This is how some LPG traders are cheating consumers,’’ Bhattacharya said.

“We have received complaints against some other dealers, too, and started investigations. We have decided to conduct surprise swoops on their godowns. We will take stern measures on the spot if any foul play is detected,’’ warned IOC deputy general manager Dey.

Officials of both the IOC and the consumer affairs department pointed to rackets by a section of LPG dealers and caterers.

The caterers take a full cylinder from the dealers and after using a portion of the gas, return it. The used cylinders are then supplied to households, the officials said.

Dey said the net gas content, quality and safety of cylinders are checked at the bottling plants before supply to the dealers.

There could be a variation of weight of 100g to 200g in a few cylinders, he admitted.