Hyderabad: Long queues of cars and autorickshaws began lining up in Hyderabad on Monday, January 19, with compressed natural gas (CNG) being in short supply in the city, severely affecting auto and cab driver operations due to the hours-long wait.
The situation is likely to remain the same on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 20 and 21, potentially leading to loss of daily income, increased congestion and extreme mental stress, Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) president Shaik Salauddin said in a statement on Monday.
Salauddin alleged that CNG stations are illegally charging an extra Rs 10 per vehicle for each refill, saying this was unacceptable and amounted to “exploitation of workers who are already struggling due to fuel shortages.”
This situation clearly shows poor planning, inadequate supply and a lack of monitoring by the concerned authorities, he said.
The TGPWU founding president called on the Telangana Civil Supplies Department and Legal Metrology Department to “urgently” step in to ensure adequate CNG stock and put a stop on the illegal extra charges.
Salauddin urged authorities to take strict and called for immediate action against the CNG operators involved in the “illegal practice.”
“Gig and platform workers cannot be made to suffer due to administrative failures.
We demand immediate action,” he added.
An earlier nationwide strike
The CNG crisis adds to the growing challenges faced by the workers’ unions in the wake of the nationwide protests, worsening their overall predicament.
Gig and platform workers on December 24, 2025, had announced a two-day, all-India strike on Christmas (December 25) and New Year’s Eve (December 31), two of the busiest days of the year for delivery workers, to protest against worsening work conditions.
The strike was called to protest the denial of fair wages, safety, dignity and social security of delivery workers. The gig workers demanded fair and better pay through transparent wage structures and incentives reflecting real working hours and costs. They also demanded that the arbitrary blocking of IDs and penalties without due process be stopped and they receive improved safety measures, including safety gear and accident insurance.
In a recent development, BlinkIt dropped its ’10-minute’ delivery claim from all platforms amid growing concerns about the welfare of delivery workers. It revised the tagline from “10,000+ products delivered in 10 minutes” to “30,000+ products delivered at your doorstep.”
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