Petrol bunks run dry

Petrol bunks run dry
Bangalore, DHNS:
Petrol and diesel shortage in the City seems to have taken a turn for the worse. This reality hit Bangaloreans in the face on Thursday morning, as several petrol bunks shut shop, leaving many in the lurch.


Retail outlets closed down at Jayanagar, Sadashivanagar, Fraser Town, Jeevan-bhima Nagar and Airport Road. The bunks that were open for business faced panic-filling, as customers were trying to fill tanks to capacity.

A petrol station in JP Nagar was seen rationing out fuel by limiting the purchases to Rs 1,000 (petrol) and Rs 2,000 (diesel). Another bunk in Basava-nagudi, which usually serves taxis, call centre vehicles and buses, was so packed with vehicles Wednesday midnight, that the spillover blocked the entire traffic intersection. Security personnel brandishing sticks maintained a strict line for the vehicles.

Elsewhere, consumers were left with no alternative but to leave their vehicles locked at nearby places, as they could not find any outlet which stocked petrol.

However, much to the relief of the dealers and consumers, supplies reached some bunks in the evening.
President of Karnataka Petroleum Dealers Association Bhushan Narang said several truck drivers had taken the day off to participate in the VHP bundh and hence supplies were below normal.

Narang alleged that oil companies were rationing out petrol to the dealers, based on their sales in the previous month.

Although, the oil firms had assured them that there would be no favouritism, arbitrary procedures were being followed for allocation, he alleged.

Various versions surfaced about the real culprit for the shortage of fuel supply in the State, with oil company officials maintaining that there was no shortage in petrol supplies. But some shortage was being seen in the case of diesel because of increased demand, the added.

A source at an oil company said the demand for diesel had picked up so much that it had to be procured from abroad.

He admitted that companies were trying to promote branded petrol to cover their losses to some extent. While maintaining that branded petrol did come with advantages like more mileage and eco-friendliness, they could not force it down on a customer.

“We will definitely allow supply of regular fuel, especially where acceptance of branded products is poor,” he said.
Responding to complaints of petrol dealers that the supply by the companies was not enough to meet the demand, the state-level co-ordinator for the oil industry B Ashok issued a press release saying there was no scarcity and requested the public not to indulge in panic buying.

The release also said the oil companies had sufficient stock to last for the next 7 to 8 days and that supplies would be replenished on a daily basis to meet the demand all over Karnataka.

Ministry’s diktat

The co-ordinator also distanced the companies from allegations that there was forced selling of branded fuels, saying that all bunks would be stocked with both regular and premium fuels to avoid having the customer making an unhappy choice.

Meanwhile, Venugopal, former office manager of the Federation of Karnataka State Lorry Owners and Agents Association (FKSLOAA), said they had a received a copy of a letter from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gases to the heads of the IOC, HPCL and BPCL dated July 2, asking them to take steps to ensure adequate supply of both branded and regular fuel variants of diesel and petrol at all the retail outlets in the country.
The Ministry has also asked the companies to build adequate stocks of petroleum products across the country as a contingency measure in the face of the nationwide transport strike called by the All India Motor Transport Congress.