Fleecing: Action against Chandigarh oxygen vendor recommended

Dushyant Singh Pundir
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 1

Strict exemplary action has been recommended against a private vendor for taking an undue advantage of an acute shortage of medical oxygen and allegedly overcharging for refilling cylinders.

The UT Administration had fixed the rate of Rs 295 plus GST for refilling each D-type oxygen cylinder, but M/s Super Agencies, the vendor, allegedly started indulging in overcharging.

Yashpal Garg, nodal officer for managing oxygen supply in the UT, said on May 10, Arunesh Agarwal, the director of the mini-Covid care centre at Indira Holiday Home, Sector 24, sent a WhatsApp message alleging that M/s Super Agencies had charged Rs3,344 for refilling four cylinders but the bill was issued for Rs1,344. Garg intervened and the excess amount was adjusted by the vendor in the next bill.

In another case, it was observed that M/s Super Agencies charged Sewa Bharati Society Rs600 per cylinder on May 10 and issued bills for the same. The matter was then taken up with the vendor and the bill amount was changed to Rs295 per cylinder.

The excess amount charged was refunded, said Garg.

Some private hospitals also lodged complaints of overcharging with the Director, Health Services, UT, on May 18, he said.

Considering repeated complaints against M/s Super Agencies, on May 22, Jagjit Singh, a UT official assigned the charge of coordinating with all private hospitals regarding availability of beds and supply of medical oxygen, was asked to hold an inquiry into the matter.

In his report, the probe officer stated that the private hospitals could not submit any proof, documentary or otherwise, in support of their complaints against M/s Super Agencies.

The report stated that during the inquiry in the case of Sewa Bharati Society, the vendor stated that its official concerned was not familiar with the accounts, which did not seem convincing.

For the period from May 1 to 8, M/s Super Agencies issued bills at the rate of Rs150 per cylinder and from May 8 to 10 at the rate of Rs300. M/s Super Agencies could not justify as to why it was refilling cylinders at the rate of Rs150 and arbitrarily started charging Rs300 and then started refilling cylinders at the rate of Rs295.

“The two instances show that M/s Super Agencies may be arbitrarily charging for the refilling of oxygen cylinders but there is no conclusive proof in this regard,” concluded the report.

Garg said, “M/s Super Agencies had taken an undue advantage of the acute shortage and almost monopolistic rights of supplying medical oxygen to specific private hospitals and mini-Covid care centres, especially between May 7 and 22 when the quota system was in force.”

Acting on the report, Garg recommended that such acts on the part of M/s Super Agencies need to be dealt with a strict exemplary action. “The Health Department may initiate a strict action against M/s Super Agencies under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, or the Chandigarh Epidemic Disease, Covid-19 Regulations/Instructions,” he said.