KOCHI: The state is heading for an acute fuel shortage with the strike called by tanker dealers and operators at IOC plant, Irumpanam here entering the fourth day on Tuesday. The series of negotiation meetings convened by the district administration on Monday and Tuesday failed to reach on a consensus between the IOC management and striking dealers. The meeting held on Tuesday late evening also failed to settle the disputes amicbly. The strike called by the tanker contractors’ and dealers’ coordfination committee at the IOC plant started on Saturday and most of the pumps went dry by Tuesday.
More than 300 tanker lorries are waiting outside the terminal to fill fuel from the plant. On Saturday, when the strike was announced only 120 tankers were despatched as against the normal 500 loads. According to Thomas Vaidyan, preident of the All Kerala Federation of Petroleum Traders the IOC management is trying to violate the tender norms and guidelines stipulated by the Supreme Court and Central Vigilance Commissioner. He urged the state governemnt to immediately intervene in the matter to resolve the crisis. 'If the issue is not addressed immediately, the public transport will also get affected as supply to KSRTC depots will have to be stopped soon', he said.
“There are nearly 1100 Indian Oil Corporation pumps in the state in which only 25 per cent have enough stock. The frequent strikes at the Irumpanam plant have badly affected the fuel supply,” said M.M Basheer, secretary of Kerala State Petroleum Traders Association. Meanwhile, in view of the crisis, the petrol pumps of HP and BPCL have taken additional stocks and have brisk sales. “Since more than 65 per cent of the petrol pumps in the state are under IOC, shortage of fuel is acute in many places, especially in rural areas,” he added.
