Valley faces shortage of fuel as Oil Tanker Owners strike continues

With Jammu and Kashmir Oil Tanker Owners’ Association suspending supplies to Kashmir citing “attacks by miscreants”, the summer capital Srinagar is running short of fuel, with local petroleum dealers accusing the state government of “failing to resolve the issue.”
As per the dealers in Kashmir, out of depots of three Oil Marketing Companies in Kashmir, two have “gone dry” due to halting of oil supplies from outside by the Tanker Owners’ Association.
“Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited depots in Srinagar are dry as they have run out of supplies due to continuous strike by the Association,” said spokesperson of Kashmir Valley Petroleum Dealers’ Association (KVPDA), an amalgam of petroleum product retailers and outlet owners, in Kashmir.
He said 80 fuel retail outlets of these two companies will run short of fuel in next two days as the supplies have been stopped.
The third OMC—Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL)—has supply which could last for next few days only. “The IOCL has 65 petroleum outlets in the summer capital and if the supplies are not resumed, there will be shortage of fuel in Kashmir.”
The KVPDA accused the state government of “making false claims of having adequate oil supply in Srinagar.”
“Due to the prevailing situation, there is only five per-cent demand of fuel. But despite this, our supplies are running dry due to the fact that the oil tanker owners have suspended the supplies for the past couple of weeks,” he said, adding: “The government is making tall claims but on ground they have failed to motivate the Association to resume supplies.”
General Secretary, JK Oil Tankers, Drivers and Conductors’ Association, Surinder Singh said they have suspended supplies to Kashmir due to “attacks on drivers and tankers in Kashmir by miscreants.”
“We want government to provide us adequate security on way to Srinagar,” he said, adding: “We are scheduled to meet the Chief Secretary and Divisional Commissioner Kashmir on Friday to deliberate on the issue.”