CHENNAI: The owners of tankers transporting LPG have dropped their indefinite strike, which they had planned to launch from Monday morning (July 1).
A submission to this effect was made by the counsel for the tanker owners association before Justice P D Audikesavalu when the writ petitions from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) in Chennai, came up today.
The decision to drop the strike, for the time being, follows the nomination of Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar, former Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, as the mediator to resolve the issue.
The three major oil corporations prayed for a direction to the State Commissioner of Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection department and the DGP to invoke powers under the Essential Commodities Act to take immediate steps for ensuring an uninterrupted and continuous supply of LPG products at all locations in the State.
Their interim prayer was for a direction to the DGP to provide adequate police protection at the loading/unloading locations and to restrain the president and secretary of the Southern Region Bulk LPG Transport Owners' Associations in Namakkal from going ahead with the strike.
According to the three oil majors, they had floated tenders on January 23, 2018 incorporating new requirements/conditions. Among other things, state-wise tenders were floated in respect of the six southern states, including Puducherry for the first time. It also introduced a new concept of 'Proposed Trucks Category'.
Not happy with the stipulations, the Transport Owners Associations, at the general body meeting on June 20, resolved to go on strike from July 1.
Contending that the call to strike work was absolutely illegal, the oil majors filed the present petitions in the High Court.
The matter stands adjourned by two weeks.