Bhubaneswar, October 31: The Khordha District Supply Department seized 229 domestic LPG cylinders during a surprise raid at Kalinga Nagar Phase-2 ( Ghatika) under the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) limits on Friday, following allegations of illegal storage and hoarding of cooking gas cylinders.

The raid was conducted at an abandoned asbestos-roofed house near Basanta Sahu Chhak, where officials discovered 229 LPG cylinders containing with full of LPG, belonging to three major oil marketing companies — Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL).

Of the seized cylinders, 90 belonged to Indane, 38 to Bharat Gas and 101 to Hindustan Petroleum. The enforcement team also recovered two motors allegedly used for refilling gas, pressure pipes, cylinder caps and plastic seals bearing the branding of different oil companies.

According to officials, complaints had been pouring in for a considerable period regarding difficulties faced by consumers in obtaining LPG cylinders in the locality. Acting on the directions of Khordha District Collector Amrit Ruturaj, the District Supply Department launched the operation.

Following the seizure, the cylinders were handed over to nearby authorised distributors — Soumya Indane (IOCL), Pramod Bharat Gas (BPCL) and Lingaraj Gas Agency (HPCL).

Preliminary investigations suggest that an alleged illegal trader may have been collecting LPG cylinders from different distributors and consumers to sell them in the open market at inflated prices.

District Civil Supplies Officer Gyanendra Mishra said that a detailed investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the illegal storage and establish whether any LPG distributors were involved in the racket. 

The raid was carried out under the direct supervision of District Civil Supplies Officer Gyanendra Mishra on the instructions of Khordha Collector Amrit Ruturaj.

The enforcement team comprised Additional District Civil Supplies Officer Rohit Dash; Assistant Civil Supplies Officers Himanshu Sahu (District Office), Himanshu Sekhar Dutta (BMC) and an Assistant Civil Supplies Officer from Khordha Municipality; Supply Inspectors Hiranya Kumar Dash (Khordha) and Ashok Kumar Sahu (BMC), along with personnel from the Commissionerate Police.

Further investigation is underway to identify those responsible and ascertain the possible involvement of other persons in the alleged illegal LPG storage and trading operation.