Minor Disruption to Fuel Supplies in AP
Fuel stations said OMCs are cancelling their indents for fuels at the last minute despite taking advance payment from them
Vijayawada: The supply of petrol and diesel remains selectively disrupted in Andhra Pradesh despite the state government’s direction a day ago to the oil marketing companies --HPCL, BPCL and IOCL -- to ensure uninterrupted supply.
HPCL, for one, is allegedly denying supply of fuels on one pretext or the other, resulting in some fuel bunks declaring a dry-out, causing trouble to the motorists.
HPCL reportedly denied supply of fuels to a bunk in Bhimavaram by citing the reason that the bunk was seeking more quantity of fuels than its usual consumption.
Oil industry sources say that except for some fuel bunks getting closed due to legal issues, only 15 fuel bunks have announced dry-out across the state out of a total number of 4,500 fuel bunks exist in the state so far.
Some fuel bunks are displaying no stock boards only for a few hours as it takes time for the OMCs to accept their indents for supply of fuels and the oil tankers to reach and fill the underground fuel storage tanks.
Fuel stations said OMCs are cancelling their indents for fuels at the last minute despite taking advance payment from them. “They do this without citing any reason, causing trouble to us, and we have to display ‘no stock’ board at the fuel bunks,” they said.
Though all three OMCs are providing fuels on credit basis to petroleum traders from March 27 to 29 due to bank holidays, IOCL has gone a step ahead, providing three days’ credit to the traders to supply fuels beyond that period. These fuel bunks would run continuously without any disruption.
Meanwhile, petroleum traders sent a communication to the civil supplies authorities, seeking their intervention to ensure regular supply of fuels to them by the OMCs.
AP oil industry general manager N Bhaskar Reddy said, “There is no shortage of fuels with the OMCs and they are supplying fuels to the traders. However, some OMCs are not accepting indents for supply of fuels to the traders if there’s a demand for more quantities of fuels, from some fuel bunks beyond their usual requirement, or in relation to payment issues.”
In such cases, he said, their fuel bunks are going dry as and when their existing stocks of fuels get exhausted, he said.