Thiruvananthapuram: Failure to alert the ration wholesalers to carry out the quarterly collection of stocks added with distribution issues caused Kerala’s allotment of kerosene to lapse. The government's negligence had led to the state missing out on 31.20 lakh litres of kerosene for the current financial year.

The State Civil Supplies Department informed the wholesale dealers to collect the allotment from the oil companies for the last quarter only in late January. However, the government had not renewed the dealers' licences at that time.

The oil companies also required dealers to purchase kerosene only in its entirety, which affected distribution. Because their allotment was limited, dealers could not purchase the entire load.

Meanwhile, retail ration dealers were reluctant to buy kerosene, considering the steep transportation charges and negligible commission. Moreover, the number of wholesale distributors of kerosene is very low, forcing retailers to take long trips to collect the item.

The quarterly ration quota of kerosene for every unelectrified household is six litres. Meanwhile, yellow ration card holders receive one litre, and pink card holders receive half a litre.