The Hindu : Front Page : Agreement eludes LPG tanker owners, oil firms

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Monday, Jan 05, 2009
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Agreement eludes LPG tanker owners, oil firms

N. Ravi Kumar

CHENNAI: Yet another round of negotiations to end the strike by tanker owners transporting bulk LPG remained inconclusive on Sunday. The tankers are on strike since the midnight of December 31.

Though the negotiations between the tanker owners and oil companies in the city over transportation charges went late into the evening, an agreement remained elusive. The two sides gave differing versions of the meeting’s outcome. Senior officials of Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd told The Hindu that the tanker owners had agreed upon an interim rate and called off the strike.

Leaders of the Southern Region Bulk LPG Transport Owners Association refuted this. Noting that the strike continued, one of them said negotiations over some issues, particularly transportation charges for distances less than 200 km, were not yet over. They would continue on Monday. At least five bottling plants across the State have run out of LPG. The strike has also led to panic booking for refills in and around Chennai by hundreds of households. Distributors of the oil marketing companies say there has been up to 15 per cent increase in the bookings.

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