June 8:
KOCHI, JUNE 8:
Tired of the frequent hartals and strikes, oil companies have urged the government to declare the entire supply chain of LPG an essential service, and to bring it under the Kerala Essential Services Maintenance Act (KESMA).
At present, transportation and distribution of LPG are considered an essential service.
However, the crucial process of bottling is outside the purview of KESMA; this renders the government powerless in preventing work disruption.
At a news conference here, Indian Oil Corporation’s State General Manager, Murali Srinivasan, who is also the State coordinator for oil companies, pointed out that 20 to 30 days are being lost every year due to the hartals and strikes imposed by various political parties and trade unions. Srinivasan wanted the State Government to bring the entire LPG supply chain, including bottling plants, under the KESMA. Oil companies have moved the High Court seeking such a step.
Bottling plants
There are seven LPG bottling plants in Kerala: Indian Oil (3); Bharat Petroleum (2); and, Hindustan Petroleum (2). IOC alone takes care of nearly a half of the LPG needs of the State.
Srinivasan said there is sufficient installed capacity to meet the LPG needs of the State, but the frequent strikes and unreasonable demands of the trade unions, are the main cause for the supply bottlenecks. He wanted the government to facilitate long-term wage settlements with the unions to prevent work disruption. “Let the government make a decision on the wages that will have an effect for two or three years,” he said. “We are ready to pay the wages thus decided; but the district administrations should ensure that the work does not get disrupted.”
Source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/states/article6094891.ece?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication
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