LPG delivery men in dilemma over serving consumers at containment zones

Though the companies have instructed the delivery personnel not to deliver at doorsteps in areas in containment zones, the customers there continue to force them, said many of them.

“Earlier, we did not face many difficulties. But now they are forcing us to deliver cylinders at their houses, pointing out that vegetable vendors are allowed to come inside the house. But the police officials are not allowing us inside the streets. So we have to ask the customers to collect it at the end of the street,” said Ramesh E, a cylinder delivery man.

But many are strictly following the instructions given by the officials, and refuse to go inside these zones. “The customers in the containment zones compel us to deliver inside their house as usual, but the police are very strict in allowing us inside. So we leave the cylinder at the end of the street and collect empty cylinder from there,” said Chandran P, another delivery man.

“Except for a few customers, others are cooperative. They do not ask us to come inside the street considering our safety,” said K Gajendran, another delivery man.

Those from outside the containment zones seem to have gone the opposite way. Many are wary of allowing outsiders into their homes due to fear of infection. Some even stopped asking the delivery men to check the cylinders for leakage as they used to do before the outbreak, said Lavanya, a resident of Iyyapakkam.

Not all delivery men are careful. Though the oil companies are providing them masks, gloves and hand sanitisers, only a few use them. Many wear them only after the police officials who spot them insist on it.

The LPG cylinder companies have also stopped insisting on getting signature at the customer’s bill to avoid any risk of infection spread. “We are also not getting customers’ signatures on the bills; instead, they are signing virtually using mobile phones,” Chandran added. Also, many delivery men have switched – at least partially – to digital payments, Gajendran said.