Karnataka Minister Muniyappa to hold meeting to resolve Auto LPG supply issue
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister K H Muniyappa on Monday said that he will call a meeting on April 10 aimed at resolving the Auto LPG supply issue in the state.
He also said that private oil companies had hiked LPG prices for vehicles, leading to long queues at public sector stations.
Bengaluru and several other places in the state are witnessing disruption in auto services, hit by a shortage of Auto LPG. Long queues of autos are seen outside fuel stations at many places.
On Monday, the minister met with representatives of auto drivers' associations and heard their concerns.
"We are aware that auto drivers are in distress. Around 3,000 Auto LPG cylinders are being supplied by the central government daily, but private suppliers have increased the price, which is causing inconvenience to auto drivers. I will immediately call a meeting to resolve the issue," Muniyappa, who holds Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs portfolios, said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "The government supplies approximately 3,000 Auto LPG cylinders daily. The private companies also supply equal numbers of cylinders. I have learned that private companies have increased the prices. I will speak to the concerned officials."
"On April 10, I will call a meeting and try to solve the issue. Auto drivers' lives depend on these LPG supplies, so I will try to resolve the issue on a priority basis," he said, adding that private companies representatives, union government officials, Indian Oil Corporation coordinators, police and senior state government officials will also be called for the meeting.
According to official sources, PSU-operated outlets, including those of IOC, are retailing Auto LPG at around Rs 89.52 per litre in Bengaluru, whereas private marketers are selling between Rs 99 and Rs 105 per litre. This difference has led to a significant shift in customer preference toward PSU-operated Auto LPG Dispensing Stations (ALDS), resulting in increased footfall and longer wait times at these stations.
Stating that the situation is serious as the war is on in West Asia, the minister sought cooperation from everyone.
"The energy or fuel crisis is there across the world. If the Centre had planned to get the energy supplies from Russia a month in advance, this situation would not have arisen. Things have happened now. Let's try and resolve the issues," he added.
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BJP's Pravesh Wahi elected MCD mayor
New Delhi (PTI): BJP councillor from Rohini East, Pravesh Wahi, was elected mayor of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday.
Wahi secured 156 votes, with 14 councillors of the Indraprastha Vikas Party backing him. Congress candidate Hazi Zaraf received nine votes.
BJP councillor from Anand Vihar, Monika Pant, was elected deputy mayor with 156 votes.
Jai Bhagwan Yadav from Begumpur and Manish Chadha from Paharganj were elected to the standing committee from the BJP, while AAP councillor Jalaj Chaudhary from Shalimar Bagh was also elected to the MCD panel.
On being elected mayor, Wahi thanked Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and the BJP leadership, saying, "We will clean Delhi in the coming months. We will work for the development of Delhi."
The electoral college for this year's mayoral election comprised 273 votes, including 249 councillors, 14 MLAs nominated by the Delhi Assembly, seven Lok Sabha MPs and three Rajya Sabha members from Delhi. A candidate required 137 votes to win.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) abstained from the mayoral polls. Earlier, the party's Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj said in a statement that the move would allow the BJP to take charge of the civic body and help AAP "expose" the ruling party on governance.
"Despite having power at all levels, the BJP has failed to bring about any change in Delhi. The BJP does not know how to perform. Only AAP knows how to work," Bharadwaj said.
Earlier, AAP controlled the mayoral post, with Mahesh Kumar Khinchi winning the election in November 2024 by just three votes.
The three civic bodies -- East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) -- were reunified into a single entity on May 22, 2022, as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
