LPG tanker owners begin indefinite strike, oil companies say cylinder supply won’t be affected

NAMAKKAL: The Southern Region Bulk LPG Tanker Owners Association (SRBLPGTOA) began an indefinite strike on Thursday morning demanding that oil companies withdraw new contract regulations. Oil companies said the strike would not affect supply of both domestic and commercial LPG cylinders as they have enough stock.

Around 4,000 Namakkal-based trucks transporting gas from ports to the bottling plants of Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry were off the road on Thursday.

An Indian Oil official told TOI that only the bulk LPG tankers were on strike while trucks transporting cylinders continued to operate. "The trucks delivering cylinders are still running. So, there won’t be shortage of cylinders in the coming days," the official said. Also, some LPG bottling plants receive supplies via pipelines from refineries, ensuring that operations remain normal. "Typically, LPG bottling plants maintain a week's worth of stock. So, there is no immediate risk of a shortage for consumers," the official said.

Meanwhile, talks held between SRBLPGTOA volunteers and the officials of the petroleum oil companies in Coimbatore on Thursday evening failed. Around 30 delegates of the association and officials from BPCL, IOCL, and HPCL took part in the two-hour talks.

"We demanded that the companies not impose penalties on the LPG tanker trucks," said association president Sundarrajan.

“The shortage of petroleum products at the retail end will be felt within three days if the indefinite strike continues,” he added.

Recently, the oil companies implemented new contract regulations for 2025-30, which prohibit the use of two-axle trucks and allow only three-axle trucks. There a few more restrictions, including a Rs 20,000 penalty for not having an alternative driver or cleaner. Trucks involved in minor accidents will be disqualified from the tender process for three years.

The SRBLPGTOA began the strike after three rounds of discussions with the oil companies yielded no satisfactory result.


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