CHENNAI: Trade unions said around 20,000 autorickshaws and a considerable number of cabs stayed off the roads in Chennai and parts of Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur districts for the second consecutive day on Wednesday due to a shortage of Auto LPG and CNG. However, bunk owners denied that the situation was very serious and said it was not as bad as claimed by drivers, though they admitted there was uncertainty about the coming days.
CITU Auto Employees Union state working president S Balasubramanian told TNIE, “Around 20,000 of the 1.30 lakh autos in Chennai and its suburbs are not operating on Wednesday due to the shortage of Auto LPG. In Chennai, about 60% of autos are older models that can run either on Auto LPG or petrol. The remaining 40% run on CNG, which is always in high demand because there are only a limited number of CNG bunks.”
He further said that wherever Auto LPG was available, some bunks had increased the price by Rs 5 above the government-fixed rate. According to him, most petroleum corporation-run bunks were selling Auto LPG at Rs 64.51, while some private bunks were selling it for around Rs 80. Due to the higher prices, many drivers have stopped operating their autos.
AITUC Auto Employees Association State president P Mariyappan said the situation was worse in suburban areas such as Madhavaram, Ambattur and Avadi, where several private bunks had stopped sales.
Some cab drivers at the Chennai airport said the number of cabs arriving there had reduced, leading to delays for passengers booking rides.
An IOC dealer in Chennai said dealers had been orally instructed by petroleum corporations to sell Auto LPG judiciously as they were unsure about the next arrival of stocks. A member of the Tamil Nadu Auto LPG Tanker Lorry Owners Association said supply had reportedly been cut by about 30% on Wednesday.
