Nagpur: Autorickshaw drivers in the city are facing a deepening livelihood crisis as LPG prices have nearly tripled and supply disruptions linked to the West Asia conflict have led to prolonged pump closures.Drivers said LPG rates, which hovered around ₹56 per litre before March, have shot up to nearly ₹150, sharply eroding their daily earnings. The spike, coupled with an acute shortage, has disrupted operations, forcing many to keep their vehicles off the road.“Petrol is already expensive, and we cannot sustain operations on it. Many autos have stopped running, and families are suffering,” said a driver.“Since my auto runs on LPG, the petrol tank is very small. I have to make multiple visits to petrol pumps even after short trips,” another driver said.At an LPG outlet on Wardha Road, operations remained suspended for nearly four days. Staff said the last recorded price before closure was around ₹100 per kg.Amid mounting uncertainty, autorickshaw drivers, under the banner of the Vidarbha Autorickshaw Drivers Federation, submitted a memorandum to Nagpur district collector Vipin Itankar on Wednesday, flagging the crisis.In the memorandum, drivers alleged that operators of the limited LPG outlets in the city exploited the situation by raising prices to as high as ₹150 per litre. They also claimed that most pumps are currently shut, worsening the crisis for those dependent on LPG for their livelihood.The federation has demanded immediate reopening of LPG outlets and restoration of supply at ₹55 per litre, warning that prolonged disruption could push many drivers into severe financial distress.
