Saurashtra truckers stop transport of petrol, diesel

RAJKOT: With the transporters' strike demanding scrapping the present toll system entering the third day, private petrol and diesel dealers came out in support on Saturday and stopped transport of petrol and diesel from refineries to pumps in Saurashtra. As many as 600 tankers remained off-road restricting supply of fuel to over 1,000 pumps across the Saurashtra region.
Rajkot Goods Transport Association general secretary, Hasu Bhagde said, "With the government not budging, private tanker owners have stopped transport of petrol and diesel to pumps from Saturday. However, company-owned tankers continue to ferry fuel."
This move by tanker owners is likely to have far-reaching consequences as most petrol pumps have stock for 4-5 days.
Omkarsinh Rana of the Petrol, Diesel Dealers' Association, Saurashtra, said that nearly 600 private tanker owners have refused to transport fuel from the Essar and Reliance refineries in Jamnagar to the pumps. "This will affect the supply of petrol and diesel not only in Gujarat but also in states like Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh to name a few," Rana told TOI.
"If the private tanker owners further prevent company-owned tankers to transport fuel on Monday the situation is likely to get worse as it could lead to shortage of petrol and diesel," he added.
The All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) is demanding scrapping of the existing toll system, saying it is a tool for harassment. It is seeking a one-time payment of taxes and simplification of TDS procedure.
On the other hand, the Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT) said AIMTC's suggestion to have fixed annual toll is not rational.