No gas: traffic blocked for 2 hrs on busy road

No gas: traffic blocked for 2 hrs on busy road
The Times of India

Bangalore: Over 250 auto drivers brought traffic to a grinding halt for two hours on the busy Residency Road on Saturday protesting the perennial shortage of gas at a refilling unit.

The drivers resorted to protest immediately after they realised that there was shortage of gas. They stopped their vehicles and squatted on the stretch from Ashirvadam Junction and Residency Road junction road for over an hour.

The protest had a cascading effect on the traffic in Double Road, Richmond Road, St Mark’s Road and Museum Road. Movement of vehicles was affected and police failed to decongest the area.

“This is the only petrol pump in the Central Business District (CBD) where gas refilling facility is available for autorickshaws. Shortage of gas is a perennial problem,’’ DCP, traffic (East) M A Saleem said.

“We have complained to oil companies several times to have more refilling units, it has not yielded desired results,’’ a policeman said. Oil companies always complain of not getting favourable response from the owners of petrol pumps in the CBD to establish gas refilling units. This is because of stringent procedure and negligible profits offered to the dealers, he added.