In the wake of several complaints among Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vehicle users regarding the true quantity of gas being delivered at filing stations, the State government has, for the first time, launched an ‘Auto LPG Master Meter' to test reliability of LPG dispensing units, here on Wednesday.

“There has so far been no way in ensuring that dispensing units are delivering the true quantity of gas. This master meter, currently the only one in the country, will determine whether the meter reading in LPG dispensing units is genuine or not,” said D. Sridhar Babu, Minister Civil Supplies and Legal Metrology.

Compare reading

The quantity of gas to be filled into a vehicle through the dispensing unit will be passed through the master meter, and the reading in the meter of the dispensing units will then be compared to that in the master meter to determine its veracity.

If both the readings are found to be same, the dispensing unit will be sealed as genuine.

Valid for one year

The seal is valid for one year from its date of issue, after which the meters will have to been re-tested, officials said.

The Rs. 8 lakh mobile master meter will be used to test all 85 LPG dispensing units across the State; nearly 65 of which are in the city alone.

“The auto master meter has been commissioned to carry out routine inspections on all LPG dispensing units, besides testing faulty meters on receiving complaints,” said Harpreet Singh, Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Ex-officio secretary, consumer affairs, Food and Civil Supplies department.

“While autos form a huge majority of the vehicles using LPG gas, this will ensure that poor auto-drivers are not cheated by faulty meter readings. The master meter will not be permanently stationed at one filling station, but kept at the legal metrology office,” said Mr. Babu.

Coriolis meters

Officials informed that more such Coriolis meters would also be commissioned if there was a need.