NAMAKKAL : Distribution of LPG refill cylinders could be disrupted as the Southern Region Bulk LPG Transport Owners Association (SRBLPGTOA) has called for an indefinite strike from Thursday alleging oil marketing companies like HPCL, BPCL, and IOCL have reduced the number of bullet tankers used to transport LPG.
Speaking to media persons on Wednesday, K Sundarajan, SRBLPGTOA president, said, “ We have 5,514 members from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry who operate bullet trucks transports LPG from processing units to bottling plants. Every five years, a tender is called to bring trucks. Some norms in the new tender for the next five years are not favourable to truck owners. To condemn this, we have announced an indefinite strike.”
He explained “As per the current tender, 5,514 trucks are involved in the transportation. In the recent tender, only 3,478 applicants have been called for. This leaves 2,036 trucks out of work.
The tender further mandates that three-axle trucks with a capacity of 21 tonnes will be prioritised. However, in the southern region, over 80% of the trucks have two axles and a capacity of 18 tonnes. The changes will further impact the truck owners. So, we have urged IOCL and other petroleum companies to remove clauses that will impact the truck owners,” he further said.
Members of SRBLPGTOA added, “One of the clauses in the tender stated that drivers would be fined Rs 10,000 if there is a delay in delivery. Similarly, the accident clause is also extremely unfavourable”