Auto drivers’ protest over LPG shortage continues in Hyderabad

Auto rickshaw drivers in Hyderabad continued their protest for the second day against the shortage of auto LPG at fuel stations. At Bahadurpura, drivers blocked traffic after waiting overnight in queues, only to find pumps shut due to technical issues.

Hyderabad: Auto rickshaw drivers, unhappy with the shortage of auto LPG gas at fuel dispensing stations in the city, continued their protest for the second consecutive day.

At Bahadurpura road, the auto drivers squatted on the road and blocked the movement of traffic for quite some time. The drivers argued that they had been waiting in the queue since last night and in the morning at around 10 am, the gas dispensing station management shut down the pump, complaining of a technical snag.

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The issue reached the Bahadurpura police station located 20 metres away from the fuel station. “Instead of resolving the issue, policemen from the Bahadurpura police station asked us to remove the vehicles from the sub-road and queue up elsewhere. Later, we came to know the fuel station falls under Kamatipura police station limits, and the Bahadurpura police officials did not want any disturbance in their jurisdiction,” complained Mohammed Taqiuddin, an auto driver.

Long queues were witnessed at several gas dispensing stations in the city on Tuesday.

“It is the new normal; we are having breakfast and lunch in the auto rickshaw every day. In the evening we are driving the auto and again returning to the fuel station in the early hours,” said Kashinath, an auto driver from Chandrayangutta.

At several places including Bandlaguda, Chandrayangutta, Ramachandrapuram, Errum Manzil, Tarnaka, Chaderghat and LB Nagar, the auto rickshaw queues stretched to three to five kilometres.

Social and religious organisations are visiting the gas dispensing stations and offering free food and water to the auto rickshaw drivers on humanitarian grounds.

“I have a family to take care of. I don’t mind accepting food if anyone donates, because I cannot go out of the queue for breakfast, lunch or dinner. If I move out of the queue for food, my family back home will go hungry,” said Ashish Kumar, an auto rickshaw driver from Chatrinaka.