Gas delivery boys asked to place refills at consumer door steps

Oil firms advise distributors to follow the practice due to COVID-19 concerns

As COVID-19 numbers soar, gas delivery boys have begun depositing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder refills at the door steps of customers. Officials at Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) said that they had asked their distributors to restart this practice, which had been introduced last year during the lockdown. “Unless the customer expressly asks that the cylinder be kept inside the house, the delivery personnel have to make the pre-delivery checks, including weighing, checking pin and O-ring, outside the premises,” said an official of IOCL. The company is also encouraging non-cash forms of payment, which now stands at 35% of all their transactions and has climbed from being 16% sometime last year. “The delivery boys have QR codes behind their ID cards, which can be used by customers to make the payment during the delivery. They can pay online while making the booking,” said another official. Virugambakkam resident Chandrasekar said the delivery boy had been placing the cylinder inside the house. “I should perhaps ask him to leave it outside the next time he comes,” he said.