LPG shortage may hit Assam due to lockdown amid coronavirus outbreak, says APMU

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Assam Petroleum Mazdoor Union (APMU) on Saturday expressed concern that the State may face the crisis of LPG due to the lockdown amid the coronavirus outbreak.

APMU general secretary Ramen Das stated that the till now there is no scarcity of gas in the State but in the future there might be shortage if proper measures are not taken. Das said that the tankers have to wait for days to fill up gas at IOC bottling stations in – Haldia, Durgapur and Varanasi Oil Refinery. On Friday, 230 gas tankers were in waiting in Haldia for loading. Das alleged that the tankers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are getting special preference and are being loaded on arrival; however, the tankers from Assam and the Northeast are being ignored. The IOC (Indian Oil Corporation) authorities are also not giving attention to this matter and if similar situation continues than then the tankers will not be able to enter the State in time thus leading to crisis.

Further, Das said that, “The health examination of these drivers and handymen are not satisfactory. The drivers and handymen of tankers coming from Haldia are getting stamped “home quarantined”; however, they are being forced to work by the authorities”.

He appealed to the State and IOC authorities to allot experienced health workers to examine these people and also the ‘stamped’ drivers should be allowed to stay isolated for 14 days.

Also Read: COVID-19 impact: Oil tankers, LPG truck drivers demand highway eateries

Also Watch: East Siang District Administration in Arunachal Pradesh cautious over corona virus