CHENNAI: The strike by owners of bulk LPG transport trucks, which started on January 12, ended on Thursday, bringing relief to Oil Marketing Companies (OMC), the State government and consumers.Speaking to Express, M Ponnambalam, president of the Southern Region Bulk LPG Transport Owners Association, said the strike was called off as their major demands have been met.Engaging all the trucks to ferry LPG was the first major demand. “This has been met. We had sought an increase in freight rates. This has also been acceded,” he said.Also, the OMCs have agreed to effect the increase from November 1, 2011. “The new rates will be finalised before February 28.” When asked about the quantum of increase they had sought, he declined to comment as the issue was still under negotiation. Over 4,000 trucks are now being operated.According to sources in the OMCs, the present rate is `2.24 per ton for every kilometre and the truck owners have demanded a 30 per cent hike. “Nothing can be said now on the likely hike that we could agree on,” an official working for an oil major said. A tanker lorry normally carries 17 metric tonnes of LPG. The tankers transport LPG from refineries to the bottling plants. After a week-long strike, Indane (Indian Oil) bottling plants in Coimbatore and Salem came to a grinding halt. Similarly, several bottling plants of other OMCs too were hit. “Only those bottling plants that received LPG through pipe lines and railway wagons worked as usual,” the official said.Conciliatory TalksA trilateral meet among representatives of the government, OMCs and truck owners were held here on Thursday. The transport operations will resume on Friday.Consumers who were already facing delays in supply of LPG refills were worried that the strike could prolong the waiting period.
Comments
0 comment