CHENNAI: They went for fuel efficiency and opted out of using dirty fuel, but the city does not have the infrastructure backbone to offer adequate support. Auto rickshaw drivers who chose to use liquefied petroleum gas complain there are not enough auto LPG dispensing stations in the city to cater to their demand. The fallback option is petrol, which is getting costlier by the day.
“When the fuel tank goes dry at Parrys corner, either we have to travel to Royapettah or Walltax road, located 4 km away to fill the LPG. It affects our daily income,” said G Ramu, an auto driver at Egmore railway station.
The situation is no different at crowded commercial locations, such as T Nagar, Velachery, Washermenpet and suburban areas Thiruvotriyur, Medvakkam, Semmancheri, Karapakkam, Pammal, Pallavaram and Perungudi.
The primary reason auto drivers says they opted to LPG gas is fuel efficiency. Petrol costs Rs 71.60 a litre, while LPG is available for Rs 43.
The petrol mileage is 18 to 20 km within the city, while that of LPG is 16 km a litre. The LPG tank has a capacity of capacity of 13-14 litres.
Selvam of Kilpauk Medical College stand said, though the mileage difference is hardly 2-3 km, they save about Rs 30 a litre. “For taking a passenger from Porur to Egmore railway station, we charge Rs 150-200. The possibility of returning without a passenger exists. In such a situation, LPG is economical. Also, in Porur and Vadapalani areas, there are no filling stations,” he said.
According to the transport department’s records, as on July about 78,500 auto-rickshaws were operating in Chennai city.
M Chandran, general secretary of CITU-affiliated TN Auto Drivers Association, said excluding autos in repair and the damaged once, about 71,000 auto-rickshaw ply in the city, of which more than 55,000 have either LPG tanks or LPG and petrol tanks. “The demand of auto gas LPG would be around 3-4 lakh litres a day while the existing infrastructure could only cater about 15,000 litres a day,” he pointed out.
When contacted, officials of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) said depending on the consumption of LPG gas, additional filling stations were being opened. “In the last three years, 10 additional stations opened in the city. As the requirement increases, we will expand the network.”