E-Paper
Petrol pumps go dry in Kerala
With the strike of oil PSU executives entering the third day, most petrol stations in Kerala have gone dry leading to severe fuel crisis of the 2,000 petrol stations.
With the strike of oil PSU executives entering the third day on Friday, most petrol stations in Kerala have gone dry leading to severe fuel crisis Of the 2,000 petrol stations, stocks in 90 per cent had already been exhausted and the situation would become worse if the strike continues for another day, Kerala Federation of Petroleum Traders President Alex Vallakalil said. Only Hindustan Petroleum pumps were now functioning in the state, he said.
A report from Sabarimala said arrival of vehicles carrying pilgrims have come down down since Thursday apparently due to the shortage of fuel. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) sources said it had not cut any bus services, including those to Sabarimala.
Meanwhile,the state government had asked petrol station owners to impose certain restrictions on the supply of petroleum products as part of crisis management. State Food and Civil Supplies Minister C Divakaran said emergency services such as ambulance should be given priority with regard to fuel supply.Two-wheelers would be given a maximum of five litres and KSRTC and private buses should be provided with diesel as per availability,he said. A report from Kochi said long queue of vehicles were seen before some petrol stations, which were open right from the morning.In the district out of the 175 petrol pumps, 95 per cent ran out of stocks, trade sources said. Meanwhile, Nedumbassery international airport Director A C K Nair told PTI that flight operations from here would not be affected for the next four days as the airport had ensured a stockpile of aviation fuel.
