Ahmad Ali got a new LPG auto-rickshaw on June 4 and ever since he has been plagued with umpteen problems. “The LPG may be good for the environment but not for us,” said Ali. There is a lack of LPG pumps on the Lohapool-Park Circus route, where he runs his auto. “There is no LPG pump within six-seven km and the nearest pumps are in Maniktala and Jadavpur,” said Ali.

SK Aslam, another driver, said they are forced to queue up at the pump station at night. “When we go there, local autos prevent us from taking gas. By the time our turn comes, the gas is over,” said Aslam. Others said it is difficult to go to distant areas as they do not have the route permit. “It often takes us four hours to merely get fuel,” said MD Rakesh, an auto driver.

According to auto-drivers, there are only 13 pumps in the entire Kolkata municipal area selling LPG. “The government wants all autos to switch to the LPG mode but where is the infrastructure? Moreover, they supply poor quality LPG. The quality of autos is also poor and many of them have already developed engine problems,” said Bithin Das, secretary of the Trinamool’s auto union.

The petrol pumps selling LPG, however, refute the claim that they do not stock adequate gas. “Nearly 500 autos come to us to fill their tanks daily and we have more than enough fuel,” said NK Pathak, manager of a petrol pump in Maniktala.

... contd.