gas petition

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MEMORANDUM / REPRESENTATION

Date: 25.04.2026

From
The President / Secretary
Gudalur Consumer Human Resources and Environmental Protection Centre
Pandalur, The Nilgiris District – 643 XXX
Mobile: [Your Phone Number]
Email: [Your Email ID]

To
The District Collector,
The Nilgiris District,
Udhagamandalam (Ooty) – 643 001.

The District Supply Officer (LPG),
The Nilgiris District.

Subject: Request to reduce the LPG cylinder supply interval to once every 25 days for the forest and tribal areas of Gudalur and Pandalur taluks in The Nilgiris District – Reg.

Respected Madam / Sir,

We, the Gudalur Consumer Human Resources and Environmental Protection Centre, on behalf of the people living in the forest areas, tea estate regions, and tribal hamlets of Gudalur and Pandalur taluks in The Nilgiris District, submit this memorandum with utmost urgency.

The Gudalur and Pandalur areas are surrounded by dense forests and vast tea plantations. These regions witness frequent movement of wild animals, particularly elephants, tigers, and bears. Human-wildlife conflict is a severe and ongoing issue here.

According to official data, 685 to 692 people have lost their lives in Tamil Nadu due to wild animal attacks between 2015 and 2025. 

A significant number of these incidents have occurred in The Nilgiris District, especially in the Gudalur region, where human-elephant conflicts are very high. Many people have been killed or injured while attempting to enter the forest to collect firewood. 

Property damage and crop loss are also common.Because of this constant threat from wild animals, the local people, particularly women and daily wage workers, find it extremely dangerous and practically impossible to collect firewood from the forests. As a result, most households are unable to rely on firewood for cooking.

In this situation, the current LPG cylinder supply interval has been extended to once every 45 days as per the recent Central Government directive for rural areas. 

However, a standard 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder lasts only 25 to 30 days on average for a normal family, depending on the size of the household and usage.Due to the 45-day gap, many families are forced to go without cooking gas for 15 to 20 days every cycle. This has created severe hardship in daily life.Impact on the Public:

• Women, children, elderly persons, pregnant mothers, and patients face great difficulty in preparing meals.
• Breastfeeding mothers and families requiring hot water for medical needs (such as preparing medicines or sterilizing equipment) are severely affected.
• Daily wage labourers and tea estate workers find their routine life completely disrupted.
• In desperation, some people risk entering the forests for firewood, which further increases the chances of human-wildlife conflicts and loss of life.

Our Requests:

1. Declare the forest, hilly, and tribal villages of Gudalur and Pandalur taluks as a Special Category Area (Difficult / Forest / Tribal Area) and reduce the LPG cylinder booking and supply interval to once every 25 days.
2. Considering the unique situation of these areas — where firewood collection is highly risky due to wild animal menace — kindly take up the matter with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, and request a special quota / exemption for these regions.
3. Issue necessary instructions to the oil companies (Indian Oil / Bharat Petroleum / Hindustan Petroleum) to ensure faster and adequate supply of LPG cylinders to this region.
4. Immediately constitute a district-level committee to study this issue and submit recommendations for a permanent solution.

This long-pending problem is directly affecting the fundamental right to food of the people living in forest areas. We earnestly request your immediate intervention and necessary orders at the earliest.Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

[Sivasubramaniam]
President / Secretary
Gudalur Consumer Human Resources and Environmental Protection Centre
Pandalur, The Nilgiris District
Mobile: []

Copies forwarded to:

1. The Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai – 600 009.
2. The Hon’ble Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai.
3. The Hon’ble Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, New Delhi.
4. The District Supply Officer (LPG), The Nilgiris District.
5. The Area Manager / Divisional Manager, Indian Oil Corporation / Bharat Petroleum Corporation / Hindustan Petroleum Corporation.

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