LPG shortage: No solution in sight

The ongoing dispute between trade unions and transporting contractors of oil companies over loading/unloading charges even after seven rounds of conciliatory talks, which has badly hit LPG supplies in the capital city and around for the past two weeks, is unlikely to get an immediate solution. Transport contractors have approached the court on the issue, thereby giving a new dimension to the stalemate.

As floor stocks with Indane and HP LPG dealers in the city dried up within a week since the launch of the strike on July 26, the scarcity has become acute now. As many as 45 truck loads of LPG are needed every day to address the domestic fuel needs of the city.

The root cause of the issue is that the agreement between the transport contractors and the headload workers, which had lapsed in 2008, has not been renewed till date. The striking headload workers have demanded higher wages from the existing ` 830 per truck for loading and unloading. A truck load of domestic LPG cylinders will have 306 cylinders.