With the State-run oil marketing companies (OMC) pushing August 16 as the deadline for finishing the e-KYC process for domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) consumers are rushing to the agencies to get it done. Some agencies witnessed around 60-70 persons just on Thursday.

Distributors said that many of those, who came in had landed up despite having already completed the process. "I panicked because I got a message asking me to do the e-KYC. It is not a question of subsidy but the threat of having to buy cooking gas at commercial rates," said a consumer.

Around 88% of e-KYC has been completed so far in the State. Surendra Babu, a consumer, said that he had been busy with day to day affairs and hence couldn't finish the e-KYC. "I tried doing it at home. But found that my Aadhar card had not been linked with my LPG ID. Some ten years ago there was a similar drive. I wonder what happened to the data that we had submitted at that time," he said.

For some consumers the death of the person in whose name the connection was given, has caused them to change the name of the connection. "My mother died sometime ago. There were a lot of official business to take care including closing her bank account. By the time the time I got to the gas connection, the war started and we could not do any name transfer. Only recently, we changed it and have now done e-KYC," said a consumer.

Official sources said that e-KYC was being mandated to ensure delivery of cylinders to the correct consumers. "Delivery of cylinders will not be affected in any manner even if e-KYC is not completed," said a senior OMC official.

An industry source said that the Union government is heavily subsidising the product for domestic consumers. It cannot allow that amount to be squandered away by people who do not need subsidy. Consumer activist T. Sadagopan hoped that the last date would be extended. "The public is being unnecessarily put to hardship due to this. OMCs should hold special camps for this purpose in public places," he added.