TGPWU flags stockpiling, black marketing of Auto LPG and CNG across India

Hyderabad: Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union (TGPWU) on Friday, March 20, alleged that filling stations across the country are deliberately restricting supply of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Auto LPG to create fake scarcity and encourage black marketing.

Drawing Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri’s attention to the issue, TGPWU stated that due to rumours of a sudden shortfall in fuel supply, filling stations are witnessing extremely long queues of vehicles, forcing auto-rickshaw and cab drivers to wait for several hours to refill their vehicles.

This has significantly reduced the daily earning capacity of drivers who depend on daily earnings to support their families, a release from TGPWU stated.

The Union has asked the Centre to ensure uninterrupted and adequate supply across the country, and take strict action against supply chain operators and filling stations involved in stockpiling or black-marketing fuel.

They also asked for surprise inspections of supply chain godowns and filling stations and formation of State and District level coordination committees to check for any other irregularities.

Further, app-based aggregator companies such as Ola, Uber, and Rapido were asked to support drivers by avoiding penalties for reduced trips and by reviewing fare structures so that drivers are not unfairly burdened due to circumstances beyond their control.