Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Amid an acute shortage of LPG cylinders in the city, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) seized 403 empty gas cylinders from a closed factory in the Waluj industrial area on Tuesday.
Acting on inputs about black marketing and illegal storage, the MIDC launched a drive to inspect closed factories in industrial areas. During the drive, the MIDC squad found two trucks laden with empty cylinders at a factory on Plot No. 85 in C sector in Waluj at around 1pm. With the help of local police, the squad seized all the cylinders.
Officials said the cylinders belonged to a single agency, and action would be taken against the concerned agency owner.
The squad found more than 400 empty gas cylinders of Bharat Petroleum, HP, Reliance, Indane and other companies. Action was initiated for violation of government guidelines.
MIDC Regional Manager Ashok Rasal, Ramkrishna Gore, Sunil Sonawane, Ashok Kalanke, Raju Magare, Waluj MIDC Police Station PSI Praveen Patharkar, Sandeep Tagade, Vaibhav Gaikwad, Nitin Niname, Samadhan Patil and others participated in the drive.
Officials said the impact of the Gulf War is being felt on the availability of domestic LPG and commercial gas used in factories. People have been visiting gas agencies and standing in long queues since early morning, affecting their daily work. Production in several factories has also been hampered due to gas shortages, with some industrialists on the verge of closing their units.
The district administration has initiated a drive against irregularities in gas cylinder supply, prompting illegal transporters to remain on alert.
During the investigation, police identified the factory owner as Ayub Gaffar Syed. The unit, which manufactures ampules used for medicines, has remained closed for several years. A large stock of empty commercial cylinders belonging to Fatema Gas Agency, owned by Alim Syed of Shop No. 2, Ranjangaon Shenpunji, was found stored in a godown and a vehicle. Officials suspect the cylinders were to be illegally refilled and said further investigation is underway.
