Kolkata: Long queues at LPG fuel stations have meant that autos that usually operate six days a week are now able to run for only four days. Autos that have a full tank can operate for two days without a refill. However, it is taking them almost an entire day to fill up tanks. This has led to a nearly 30% drop in the number autos on most routes, hitting last-mile connectivity.Auto operators say that while fuel is available, access to it is the real challenge. There are two factors contributing to this. Firstly, not all stations are consistently being able to dispense LPG, with some running dry, leading to longer queues at other fuel stations. Secondly, while autos earlier used to buy gas in smaller quantities multiple times in a day, they are now filling up their tanks to the brim. This has increased the dispensing time per auto, and is also leading to pumps going dry.“It is impossible to get auto gas without standing in queue for four-five hours. Half of the day is gone just trying to refuel,” said Mustafa, who operates on the Chandni–Lohapool route. The problem is being felt across routes. Alok Kumar, who plies the Behala-Rashbehari-Gariahat route, said, “We can’t operate more than four days a week now. At least three days are lost to refuelling.”Tarun Shankar Rath, an operator on the Tollygunge–Jadavpur route, said autos are now making fewer trips. “We manage eight round trips a day at best. A full 20-litre tank lasts two days. So, by the third day, we must refuel,” he said.Most auto routes in the city range between 4 km and 6 km, but operators say longer routes are increasingly being shortened to conserve fuel and avoid the risk of running dry midway. Passengers, meanwhile, are bearing the brunt of the disruption. “Earlier, I could get an auto within minutes. Now I often have to wait 20–30 minutes during peak hours,” said college student Ananya Dhar, a Belgachhia resident. Office-goer Subhajit Guha said: “Queues at auto stands have become longer than bus queues. It defeats the purpose of last-mile connectivity.” Operators describe the situation as a “vicious cycle”, where fear of running out of fuel has led to panic refuelling, worsening congestion at stations. “We are not even waiting for the tank to fall empty any more. If we get a chance, we refill immediately. No one wants to take a risk,” said Sanjib Das, who runs on the Tollygunge–Behala Chowrasta route.Das added that the situation is particularly severe at night. “On most days, I wait from 6 pm to midnight. There’s at least a five-hour wait at stations in Behala Chowrasta, New Alipore or Parnasree. Many pumps shut by 11 pm. Sometimes we wait overnight for them to reopen at 7 am.”A manager at a south Kolkata gas station said, “Supply is steady, but demand has surged unpredictably. Panic refilling and bunching of vehicles during certain hours are creating artificial shortages.”Gautam Biswas of South Kolkata Auto Operators Welfare Union warned that the economic toll on drivers is mounting. “Drivers are losing half a day’s income every couple of days. With rising fuel prices, this is becoming unsustainable,” said a union representative. Sanjit Sardar, who operates on the Ultadanga–Sovabazar route, said: “We are sacrificing earnings just to secure fuel. This cannot continue.”
