Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (RJP)

Mangaluru, Jan 1: It has been four days since gas tanker drivers began their strike. Over 3,000 tankers which were supposed to transport fuel to different parts of South India have come to a halt and been parked on roadsides at Suratkal near here. Reason for the strike - death of a tanker driver who was attacked on December 19.

Tanker driver Sharavanan was attacked on December 19 at Charapalli in Andhra Pradesh. He was admitted to a hospital with grave injuries and breathed his last on December 21. So far the police have still not arrested the sons of influential politicians who are believed to be behind the attack. The tanker owners have not even paid any compensation to the family of the deceased. This attitude has angered the tanker drivers and thus they have been on strike in front of HPCL company at Suratkal from the past four days.

The tanker drivers have demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lac for the family of Sharavanan. The number of tankers parked in city due to this strike has reached 3,000. The tankers parked in other parts of South India like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Kerala exceed 1,000 bringing up the total number to above 4,000. In the past four days, no gas has been supplied to any part of South India. Even the company has brought down the production of gas, it is said. The company officials have been having sleepless nights on the issue but they have failed to hold any discussion with the striking drivers.

Meanwhile, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) has said that it supports the striking drivers and will not let any tanker move unless and until the demands of the drivers are met. It has asked the district administration to intervene in this matter.

Some people said that if the strike continues, the gas supply in entire South India will be affected and hence the government needs to intervene at the earliest.