Two held for hoarding 398 LPG cylinders; officials say no need to panic-buy fuel
Madurai/Tenkasi/Chennai (PTI): Two persons were arrested and detained under the Goondas Act in Madurai for allegedly hoarding 398 LPG cylinders for black marketing, marking the first time such stringent action has been taken in Tamil Nadu for cylinder hoarding, police said on Friday.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Petroleum Dealers' Association urged people not to panic-buy petrol or diesel, stating that 14 terminals in Tamil Nadu have enough stock to replenish 7,000-plus retail outlets as per their demand.
The arrests in Madurai followed a tip-off received by the Civil Supplies Criminal Investigation Department (CS-CID) regarding the illegal diversion of subsidised domestic gas cylinders for commercial use.
Acting on the information, a special team conducted a raid at an open plot near the residence of Palani in the Kovilpappakudi area, where they seized 100 subsidised domestic cylinders and 109 commercial cylinders.
In a subsequent raid at the house of Madan Kumar, 27, in Anandam Nagar, officials recovered another 189 cylinders, including 63 domestic and 126 commercial units.
A senior official stated that both accused have been booked under the Essential Commodities Act and were subsequently detained under the Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, commonly known as the Goondas Act, by Madurai District Collector Praveen Kumar.
The CS-CID Madurai zone has issued a stern warning that illegal hoarding of essential commodities will be met with severe legal consequences.
The crackdown comes amid rising concerns over a perceived fuel and gas shortage in the region.
K P Murali, President of the Tamil Nadu Petroleum Dealers' Association, urged the public not to panic or indulge in panic buying.
He clarified that the state currently holds sufficient stocks of petrol and diesel to last for at least three weeks.
"There is no need for the public to fear a shortage. All dealers have adequate stock and are continuously receiving supplies from oil companies. Panic buying will only create an artificial shortage that benefits no one," Murali told PTI.
According to him, Tamil Nadu has 14 terminals, including three in Chennai, that stock fuel and supply retail outlets.
"Dealers usually have three days' stock with them. And they buy from these terminals as and when they need. This is happening as usual. So, there is no need to panic," Murali added.
However, he agreed that the rumour might have started from some small outlets supplied by private companies like Shell running dry.
"More than 7,000 dealers are associated with our organisation and they all have access to terminals to replenish their stock as per demand," Murali said.
Meanwhile, addressing a traders' association meeting in Tenkasi on March 12, A M Vikkrama Raja, President of the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaipu, expressed concern over the impact of the shortage on the hospitality sector.
"The Union government must take action on a war footing to ensure that traders are not affected as they were during the Covid-19 period. Due to the cylinder shortage, items like 'dosa', 'poori', and 'parotta' are becoming unavailable in hotels. While we are doing our best to feed the people, some agencies are hoarding cylinders and selling them for as high as Rs 4,000. Authorities must conduct inspections and take strict action against such elements," Raja told reporters.
Raja further warned of state-wide protests if fuel prices are hiked under the pretext of shortage. He also announced a major traders' conference in Tiruvarur on May 5 to demand a special protection law for small-scale traders against the encroachment of multinational companies.
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Post poll TN alliances divided in supporting TVK
Chennai (PTI): In a changed political atmosphere in Tamil Nadu with no single political party having a simple majority to form the government post the Assembly election, opinion is divided among the allies led by the Dravidian majors in extending external support to Vijay-led TVK in government formation.
Both the DMK and AIADMK are at unease as the Congress and also a section in the AIADMK express willingness to extend external support to Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagtam in forming the government.
Post poll, the TVK's political prospects appear to impact alliances led by both the Dravidian majors in a different manner, triggering a speculation of a split.
Leema Rose Martin, who won from Lalgudi on an AIADMK ticket, has stated that talks were underway on extending support to the TVK. Her son-in-law Aadhav Arjuna, who won from Villivakkam is TVK's general secretary.
On May 5, former AIADMK minister O S Manian, emerging from his meeting with party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, stated that AIADMK would not support TVK in forming the government.
The AIADMK, which finished third in the elections with 47 seats has cancelled its meeting of MLAs designate on Wednesday amidst a difference in extending external support to the TVK, which won 108 seats, including two seats by its founder Vijay.
As Vijay is gearing up for his swearing-in on May 7, the police have tightened security at his residence here. The party has lodged its MLA-elect at a resort in Mamallapuram and has simultaneously engaged in talks with the Congress and AIADMK, a source said.
The DMK that won 59 seats on its own, has convened a meeting of its newly elected legislators on May 7 evening and the party is likely to elect the youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin, who won from Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni as its legislature party leader.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal admitted that TVK chief Vijay requested the Congress for support to form the government.
"The INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government, committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit. The INC is determined not to allow the BJP and its proxies to run the government of Tamil Nadu in any manner. Thiru Vijay has also spoken about drawing inspiration from Perunthalaivar Kamaraj," he said.
Accordingly, the Congress leadership has directed the TNCC to take a final decision on Vijay’s request, keeping in view the sentiments of the state as reflected in the electoral verdict, Venugopal said in a statement.
DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai slammed the Congress decision and said the move to ally with TVK, pledging the support of its five MLAs to the party, was tantamount to "backstabbing the DMK and the people of Tamil Nadu."
"They have betrayed the mandate given by the people. Even before the ink on the returning officer’s signature on the victory certificate has dried, they have chosen to go ahead with this alliance," he told PTI.
The most important question was who took this "foolhardy decision, and how is it going to backfire on the Congress?" he asked.
"I don’t think they had any serious deliberation on this. The larger issue is their opposition to the BJP, which is their ideological enemy. We have supported the Congress throughout. It was our leader M K Stalin, who named Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate when the BJP and RSS were criticising him. And now, within a day, they say they are supporting TVK. This is not the mandate of the people of Tamil Nadu,” Saravanan said.
The Congress' exit from its long-standing alliance with the DMK will be a significant moment in the political scenario of the state, commentator and political analyst Sumanth Raman said.
The Congress may be betting on the TVK as a long-term partner option, but that comes with risks, as the TVK is as yet an unknown quantity, he said.
"For the DMK, if the TVK+Congress becomes the choice of the minorities as it well could, it is an existential threat. It was the minority vote that gave the DMK alliance a 12%-15% cushion in the polls. If that goes, their chances of winning drops dramatically," Raman said on 'X.'
The Congress won 5 seats. However, DMK's other allies, the IUML, VCK, CPI and CPI (M) and DMDK have categorically stated that they would not support TVK.
As of now, the TVK requires the support of 11 MLAs to attain a simple majority of 118 to form the government.
The PMK, which won 4 seats and AMMK one - both allies of AIADMK - have not announced their decision yet.
"AIADMK’s real post-result drama may not be outside the party, but inside it. Whispers from the west and north suggest that a Coimbatore hand and a Villupuram voice may soon ask the question everyone is avoiding: Is it time to save the party from the leadership, before the cadre are forced to do it themselves? In politics, coups don’t begin with slogans. They begin with silence, phone calls and “review meetings,” Aspire Swaminathan, who is credited with founding the AIADMK IT wing in 2014, said on 'X.'
He has resigned from the AIADMK in 2021 and now acts an as independent political analyst.
