KOZHIKODE: Petrol scarcity has worsened in Malabar with the Indian Oil Corporation Ferok depot strike continuing. Truck owners and the employees started an indefinite strike on Friday alleging shortcomings in its new tender. Petrol bunks in the region are drying up, leaving the public in a dilemma. The Supplyco outlet, which was among the few in the city that had fuel stocked, witnessed a heavy rush on Monday. Outlets of other oil companies also witnessed brisk business.
A minister-level meeting has been called in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday for a compromise talk, the strikers said, and if negotiations fail all the existing IOC pumps will be forced to close down due to scarcity. The IOC has been transporting petrol to Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Malappuram districts from here. On a daily basis, nearly 140 trucks and 200 loads carry fuel from the depot. Close to 60 per cent of petrol bunks in Malabar belong to the IOC. Truck owners' association, petroleum dealers' association and trade union committee are heading the protest.
