KAKINADA: With Petrol Bunk Owners getting ready for an indefinite strike from midnight of June 23 demanding abolition of Rs 4 service charge, motorists and other vehicle owners have to face severe fuel crisis in the days to come. There are 2,700 petrol bunks in the state and along with the bunks the lorry and tanker owners numbering 1.70 lakh will also go on the strike along with the petrol bunk dealers. Their main contention is that the imposition of Rs 4 service charge on a litre of fuel will not be of any use either for the government or for the petrol bunk owners.
“The private motor operators are approaching neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka and Puducherry (Yanam) since the fuel rates there are cheaper than in Andhra Pradesh. Such a situation will be advantageous to the oil mafia and thus the entire oil distribution system is being ruined,” said Federation of Petroleum Dealers Association president Ravi Gopalakrishna.
Mr Gopalakrishna said that due to the imposition of Rs 4 service charge per litre of fuel, there was a steep fall (about 30 to 35 per cent) in the sales of fuel. He said that unable to bear the losses, many petrol bunks are about to shut their shops.
According to sources, the bunks on the national highways and boarders in the neighbouring states are facing heavy losses since the transporters are buying the fuel from the neigbhouring states.
In, East and West Godavari districts, there are about 500 petrol bunks which are going to take part in the strike. However, the civil supplies department officials are making alternative efforts to ensure that the masses are not subjected to the inconvenience.
According to the official sources, nearly 25 bunks in the district will work without participating in the strike. “We will take measures to ensure supply of fuel through these bunks without affecting the people,” said the civil supplies officer G.Uma Maheswara Rao. However, the officials say that the private vehicle owners will bear the brunt of the stir.
