LPG carriers line up stir over fare
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 11 2018:
LPG carriers (trucks) engaged in delivering LPG refills from Sekmai bottling plant to different LPG agencies of the State have decided to stage a protest demonstration at the bottling plant tomorrow against the IOCL's terms and conditions.
As per an agreement signed with IOCL, the work of delivering LPG refills to different LPG agencies is done by around 100 trucks managed by the All Manipur Indane Distributors Association, and the same work is being done as per the terms and conditions of the tender held in 2014 and won by the All Manipur Indane Distributors Association.
As per the agreed terms and conditions, fare for delivering one truck load of LPG refills from Sekmai bottling plant to an LPG refill is Rs 9500.As the contract for delivering LPG refills is expiring, IOCL has initiated due process for a fresh tender and the fare for delivering one truck-load of LPG refills from Sekmai bottling plant to an LPG agency has been already fixed at Rs 6800.This is despite the fact the All Manipur Indane Distributors' Association has been demanding IOCL to increase the delivery fare from the existing rate of Rs 9500 per trip, informed a source.
On the contrary, IOCL has slashed the delivery fare by almost Rs 3000 per trip as per the new tender process.
Whereas IOCL's tender committee maintains that each truck gets three trips in two days, the All Manipur Indane Distributors Association has been contending that each truck never gets more than five or six trips in a month.
Moreover, the association has been demanding review of the alleged outdated terms and conditions of delivering LPG refills from Sekmai bottling plant to different LPG agencies.
By presenting a detail report at the pre-bid meeting held at Kolkata on August 31, the association apprised the matter to the top officials of IOCL but there has been no initiative to revise the delivery fare till date.
Incidentally, tomorrow is the last date for submission of applications for the fresh tender.
Contending that the terms and conditions determined by IOCL are unacceptable, the All Manipur Indane Distributors Association has decided to cease work and stage a protest demonstration in front of Sekmai bottling plant tomorrow.
Notably, there are over 90 LPG agencies and around four lakh LPG consumers in the State.