HYDERABAD: The ‘phantom fuel crisis’ at auto LPG and CNG stations continued to trigger panic refuelling, with autorickshaw queues stretching for kilometres in several parts of Hyderabad on Thursday.
Despite the state government asserting that there is sufficient fuel supply, panic refuelling led to artificial scarcity of LPG and CNG in stations at major areas, forcing several autos to be seen waiting in long queues spanning 1–2 km at multiple fuel stations.
The day witnessed protests by auto drivers in areas such as Lakdikapul and Malakpet at LPG stations, demanding availability of fuel. They alleged that even after waiting for over 12 hours, there was no stock available at the fuel stations. Drivers also complained that despite waiting for hours in queues, they were not informed about the exact time of LPG availability.
“I placed my auto in the queue at 10 pm on Wednesday hoping to get refuelled in two hours. We were told that the gas would be available at 3 am, then it was postponed to 6 am and later to 11 am,” said an auto driver waiting for stock at an LPG station in Lakdikapul. With no other option, many auto drivers slept inside their vehicles, keeping a constant watch to see if the queue moved forward.
For auto-rickshaw drivers, operating LPG and CNG vehicles for nearly 100 km a day, frequent refuelling has become unavoidable, forcing them to spend long hours in queues, Telangana Auto Drivers Samakhya president A Sattireddy told TNIE.
He said an LPG auto typically has a fuel tank capacity of 16–18 litres. “New vehicles give a mileage of around 20–25 km per litre, while older vehicles give about 18–20 km per litre. The price of LPG varies from station to station. The official price of LPG is around Rs 73 per litre, however, private stations charge nearly Rs 100 per litre,” he added.
The drivers complained that they have to wait in long queues, losing valuable working hours during peak business time. CNG autos, on the other hand, have a fuel tank capacity of about 4.5–5.5 kg, he said. “The price of CNG is around Rs95 per kg. However, a few CNG station operators are charging an extra Rs 10 per kg over the official price,” Sattireddy alleged.