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LPG shortage a distant worry as workers strike

Homemakers in Chennai may have a tough time ahead as an indefinite strike called by LPG contract workers of an Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) bottling plant in Ennore enters the third day on Wednesday. IOC officials said that supply to the city has not been affected. 

Tamil Nadu Petroleum Gas Workers Union general secretary K Vijayan said that IOC has reduced the number of workers at the Ennore plant without notice. "There are no workers to withdraw expired cylinders and for automatic valve testing at the plant. It has affected safety," he said. The labour department has called for a meeting with the union on Thursday. 

Every day around 40,000 cylinders go out of the Ennore plant and 25,000 from plants in Manali and Chengalpattu. Distributors said these three plants are crucial to Chennai as they supplies several lakh Indane households. 

An IOC spokesperson said the strike has not made any impact so far in Chennai. "We have enough stocks till next week. But if the strike continuous, we will have to increase production at the other two plants to meet the demand," he said. 

Meanwhile, several consumers are worried about the increasing number of cylinder blasts in the recent past. Most LPG cylinders have a life span of 20 to 25 years. Cylinders past their expiry date are prone to leaks because of wear and tear to valve pad rings and to bleeder and safety valves. Experts estimate that 8 Percent of cylinders in the market are past their expiry date.

Source-On Request