There is a risk of a gas shortage in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Puducherry as around 4,000 LPG tanker trucks have stopped operating due to a strike.
Since this morning, tanker trucks carrying LPG have been halted at various locations. The strike comes in response to the central government's public sector oil companies recently announcing a new agreement for the years 2025-2030. Truck owners have raised concerns about several strict regulations in the agreement, including a reduction in tanker truck rental fees, mandatory truck maintenance, stringent driver qualification requirements, penalties for non-compliance, and a new inspection monitoring system for LPG tankers.
Speaking about these regulations in Namakkal yesterday, Southern Zone LPG Gas Tanker Lorry Owners Association President Sundararajan emphasized that the strict rules in the new agreement should be relaxed. Since no announcement has been made regarding amendments or negotiations, he declared that an indefinite strike would begin on March 27. He also stated that from tomorrow, LPG tanker lorries would stop operations at gas loading points.
Following this, LPG tanker trucks have been halted at gas loading stations since this morning, without loading any gas. This is expected to cause a shortage of cooking gas not only in Tamil Nadu but also in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Puducherry. Around 4,000 trucks have joined the strike.