MUMBAI, June 15z; Despite promises made by the Century Gas Petrochemicals Limited (CGPL) to refill cooking gas cylinders within a few hours, its customers are complaining of delays in refilling.

Lured by tall promises made by the company through advertisements, they now complain that the company's much touted after-service is a far cry from what they had expected.

At a press visit organised at the company's plant at Thane, CGPL chairperson and managing director R Vijay Tata had claimed that they had pioneered the system of instant deliveries, and LPG cylinders could be made available to domestic consumers in barely a minute. Incorporated in 1995, CGPL has four bottling plants in Wada, Nasik, Chalisgaon and Bangalore, Tata said adding that the company managed to maintain the retail price of the LPG cylinder at Rs 140 since 1995.

Sujit Nambiar of Dombivali has a different story to tell. He says he is fed up by the excuses doled out by his area stockist Herab Agencies. ``I approached the stockist on May 8 for refilling my cylinder. I was assured of delivery within 24 hours, but a month has lapsed since.

Another customer Nitya Srivastav grumbled, ``The service was good until last year, and refilling was done on the same day. This year, however, the service has deteriorated. I had to wait for a month to get my cylinder refilled in February.''

The CGPL officials asserted that their service is ``regular and timely.'' Regional manager Tarun Bhatnaik said, ``With the exception of a few cases where delay might have been caused due to some reason, we have always delivered refilled gas cylinders immediately.''

Batnaik added that the CGPL already has a special consumer cell to redress customer grievances. ``Anyone who registers a complaint will definitely get his problem solved.,''A CGPL employee claimed a technical snag in the bottling plant had led to the delays.

Their problems were further aggravated by the transport strike. The technical problem has now been rectified, and the supply is normal, he stated. ``We maintained our refill price at Rs 140 even during the transport strike, although our ship carrying LPG could not find a berth to unload cargo at the port,'' he said.

``Our 50,000 customers will now get regular gas supply as we have signed an agreement with Reliance Industries Limited and some other suppliers. We have also started supplying commercial gas to hotels and restaurants,'' he informed.

A consumer from Borivali acknowledged the problems faced by the company. ``A rapid increase in the number of gas cylinder users might have created problems for the company. By and large, I am satisfied with the service.''

But Nambiar's problems have just begun. To cook his meals, he will have to use kerosene, obtaining which is a ordeal in itself.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.