Surat : Private car owners, auto drivers enraged as CNG stations observe symbolic strike

Surat (Gujarat) : Tens of thousands of auto drivers and private car owners in Surat and south Gujarat were enraged on Monday when CNG filling stations declared a symbolic strike in protest of the Gujarat Gas Company Limited (GGCL) and the State Government’s refusal to accept their long-pending demand for commission payment over the last five years.

Over 250 CNG filling stations, including GGCL franchise pumps and non-franchise pumps, remained closed on Monday in protest of a five-year-old commission on CNG sales.The private car owners and auto drivers were left in the lurch with the CNG stations shutting for their long pending demands.

The associations of CNG pump owners from Bharuch to Umbergaon have given 10 days ultimatum to the State Government and the GGCL to fulfill their demands and have threatened to go on indefinite strike beginning February 16.

Neeraj Modi, spokesperson of the CNG franchise association said, “IT is despite the fact the Ministry of Petroleum issued an advisory for the payment of commission to the CNG pump owners in 2021, the State Government is unmoved. GGCL is the State Government subsidiary and they are not interested in paying out the commission to the CNG pump owners”

Modi added, “We have represented the issues on several occasions, but they (officials of GGCL) are giving verbal assurances to increase commission on the sale of CNG. The prices of petrol and diesel have skyrocketed, but we are left without commission. We have given them 10 days ultimatum and then we plan to launch indefinite strike from February 16”