GUWAHATI: The North East Packed LPG Transporters Association (NEPLTA) suspended its indefinite strike temporarily with effect from 4 pm on December 9, restoring the LPG cylinder supply network to four northeastern states: Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
“We have decided to suspend the strike for a month considering the present crisis of LPG cylinders due to Raas and other festivals across the state. There is chaos in the gas agencies for the shortage of LPG cylinders. We have one month to IOCL to fulfil our demands. If they fail to fulfil our demands within this stipulated time, we will restore our stir,” NEPLTA president Niranjan Mahanta said.
More than 1,500 LPG transporters have been on an indefinite strike since December 4 citing pending dues and low rates in the recently floated tenders as reasons for the strike.
“We held a meeting with the high officials of Assam Oil Division (AOD) of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) at its state head office at Sector 2, Narengi in Guwahati on the night of December 8. Following the assurances of the IOCL authorities and in the greater interest of the public we suspended the strike from 4 pm today,” Mahanta said.
After extensive discussion, IOCL has proposed a four-week extension for the tender and the revised due date for tender will be January 31, 2024, without further grant of extension.
In the meeting, the NEPLTA demanded RTKM (round trip basis) and pending payment issues be resolved before the conclusion of the new tender or else the new tender be extended by six to eight weeks.
Since festival season is around the corner the transporters would not be able to participate in the tender that swiftly and therefore requested for an extension of six to eight weeks in the tender. Pending RTKM-related matters will be sorted out preferably within four weeks and transporters have assured to extend complete support in the verification process.
The NEPLTA also demanded that they should be made to understand the component of the rates and hence discussion and deliberation to understand the component of rates, the component shall be required from IOCL, IOCL will explain the tender rate and its component at length in the days ahead.
Discussions were also held regarding payment of tolls to which both IOCL and NEPLTA agreed that the issue of toll has been to their satisfaction. However, a few issues remained unresolved which would be cleared in terms of the current contract.
The meeting was attended by NEPLTA president Niranjan Mahanta, working president Jayanta Nath, joint secretaries Bolin Mora and Sanjib Chowdhury, Northeast Indane Distributors Association (BEIDA) president Ashok Bishoya and North East LOG (Bulk) Tank Truck Owners Association (NELTTOA) president Pulok Goswami.
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AOD of IOCL was represented by CGM IOCAOD, DP Vidyarthee, DGM (Finance) Santosh Kumar Shaw and other senior officials.
“Our dues have been pending since 2018. We requested the IOCL to release the amount immediately, but they did not respond to us for which we had no other option but to go for an indefinite strike,” Mahanta said.
“We are running our business at 2011 rates. It is simply impossible to operate the vehicles with such an old rate when prices of every item have increased many folds since then,” Mahanta said.
The NEPLTA had held strikes in 2018, 2020 and 2022 over the same issue of renewal of contracts when the company had floated the tenders. It had also moved the court in 2018.
IOCL had cancelled the previous tender for carrying LPG cylinders in response to a direction from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG). The transporters’ body objected to it, and following that, there were meetings between IOCL and NELPTA to find a way out to solve the issue.
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