Chaos over fuel crisis

People flock to petrol pumps as twin strikes by truckers and oil companies hit supplies

Chaos over fuel crisis

Me first: Vehicle owners queue up to fill their tanks as fears of shortage of fuel spread across the city Pic/Ramesh H S

People flock to petrol pumps as twin strikes by truckers and oil companies hit supplies

CROWDED roads, long queues and total confusion. This was the scene outside most petrol bunks in the city as a shortage of fuel created panic.

Two-wheelers and four-wheelers snaked through narrow roads to fill their tanks as a combined attack of an oil strike and truckers' strike beset the country. Squeezing through any space available and quibbling to fill their tanks, angry voices of consumers and plumes of smoke enveloped the air.

Industrial and commercial consumers, who resorted to hoarding the fuel fearing the shortage in the coming days, onlyu00a0 added to the crisis. Large volumes of diesel were quietly siphoned into tanks.

Raju P, a resident of Fraser Town waiting outside a petrol station, said, "I've been looking around for fuel for four hours! I've gone to about fiveu00a0 petrol stations for fuel. I noticed some petrol bunks openly denying fuel supply, even as they ushered in large fuel tanks."

Madhu, owner ofu00a0 a petrol bunk near Manipal Hospital said, "This is the first time there has been a confluence of a truckers' strike and an oil strike. Usually, we keep two days' worth of stocks, but there was panic buying late yesterday. There is no supply from IOC."

Hiralal, who lives near city market, says, "Petrol bunks I came across were all closed. I'll have to leave my vehicle somewhere nearby and get back home."

Shabeep, a young techie says, "I've been waiting for an hour and a half and this is the third petrol bunk," he fumes.

More than 70 per cent of freight in India moves by road. The country's 2,00,000 transport companies have been hit in recent months by a slowing economy and this has resulted in a nation-wide truckers' strike which started on Sunday midnight. Adding to the misery is the indefinite strike called by officers ofu00a0 the public sector's oil companies demanding a pay hike.

K Santosh, owner of a petrol bunk dealing with Bharat Petroleum is quite sure supplies will come soon even as his petrol station closed at around 10:30 am.

Chenna Reddy, President of All India Confederation of Goods Owners' Association says, "I don't see any need for a strike. The government has already cut diesel prices by Rs 2 and will cut it further."

Lorry owners association says, "When the government can offer packages to other industries, why not us? We want tyre prices to go down by 35 per cent and no toll tax for the next six months. Diesel prices will have to go down even further." Over 50 lakh trucks are part of the strike.