Though the decision to close down all LPG cylinder distributors of Assam was taken on May 7, with a buffer time of three days, the Northeast Indane Distributors Association now have finalised to curtail the services from Tuesday, May 25. The delay in the Covid-19 vaccination is sighted as the prime reason behind the resolution.
“We understand that these are difficult times but we are helpless. We have to take this decision as we cannot jeopardise the lives of our delivery boys and office staffs. The delivery boys hesitate to deliver the cylinders in containment zones, or building which house apartment with Covid patients. They are right in many ways as they are vulnerable. They can also be potential superspreaders as they visit 15 to 20 houses on an average,” says Prabin Kumar Hazarika, General Secretary of the Northeast Indane Distributors Association.
The association has written a letter to the General Manager of Indian Oil Corporation on April 26, stimulating their apprehension on the steep spike in Covid cases in the region and the need to vaccinate the delivery boys and the distributor staff free of cost and on a priority basis.
“We have been writing to all concerned even to the Chief Minister since April, but all fell into deaf ears. If the government can provide vaccine to transgender in the State, which I believe is very essential, then the LPG delivery boys also need to be vaccinated on a priority basis. They are no less than frontline workers visiting house to house and even to containment areas risking their lives. We are left with no other options than to pull our shutters down from Tuesday,” says Prabin Hazarika.
Assam alone has around 440 LPG distributors engaging 20 delivery boys on average. The northeast region has around 850 distributors. Around 500 delivery boy work round-the-clock to provide 10,000 LPG cylinders at the households of Guwahati. Two distributors of Assam, Atul Basumatary and Ranjan Das have lost their lives to the fatal virus. Two Indian Oil Corporation officials have succumbed to Covid.
“As most of our employees are within the age group of 18 to 44 years, the vaccines are necessary. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram government have acknowledged the services of delivery boys as frontline workers and have initiated vaccination drives for them. Many of our delivery boys are infected and the rest are reluctant to pull the carts without the jab. We on our behalf have provided them sanitisers, masks and PPE kits when needed. All IOC, BPCL and HPCL services shall be impeded after Monday, that’s our deadline” says Hazarika.
As of May 18, Assam has inoculated 35,31,615 persons. Out of this, 27,82,380 are those who got their first jab and 7,49,325 their second jab. On May 18, 60,199 vaccines were administered. Total vaccine availability in the State in the above 45-year segment is 1,50,190 and within 18 to 45 years is 1,30,330.
It needs to mention that to protect its frontline staff from health crises, the state-owned IOC has renewed an insurance policy for petrol pump attendants and LPG delivery workers. IOC stated in a report that, in addition to renewing medical insurance for the frontline staff, it will continue to offer ex-gratia support to the deceased’s families. IOC has renewed IndianOil Karma Yogi Swasthya Bima Yojana with effect from May 1, 2021, illustrating its responsibility to its frontline staff. According to the IOC statement, “The medical insurance will cover more than 3.3 lakh retail outlet customer attendants, LPG delivery boys, tank truck crew, security guards at pipelines, etc across the country. These men are at the forefront of IOC’s endeavour to keep the energy supply lines uninterrupted, despite the pandemic.”
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