IOC warns of petrol, LPG shortage as strike continues

New Delhi: The indefinite strike by employees of public sector oil companies is adversely affecting flight operations and has also had an impact on road transport.

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) officials say that consumers may face petrol, diesel and LPG shortage if the strike continues. The supplies may run dry in the next two days, as an indefinite nationwide strike by oil PSU officers entered the second day on Thursday even as talks to end the stir failed.

"We met the Oil Sector Officers Association leadership this morning but progress could not be made as they were harping on the same issues. We said we can do nothing since a high-level ministerial committee is already looking into it. But they didn't budge," IOC Chairman Sarthak Behuria said on Thursday.

"We have been managing the situation till now, but, there are supply constraints," Behuria said, adding that "if the strike continues, we might see dry-outs from tomorrow."

Behuria said the problem was because of inadequate loading at the refineries and petrol pumps keeping low inventories in anticipation of fuel price cuts.

''If the strike at state-run oil firms continues, after one-two days, there will be a problem,'' IOC Director (Marketing) GC Daga said.

Reports from across the country said petrol pumps are running out of stock, including some in the national capital, while aviation-refuelling services were delayed because of the absence of officers.

There was a backlog of domestic LPG supplies in many parts particularly in the South as the truckers' stir disrupted supply.

In Chennai petrol pumps are running short of fuel and long queues have been seen at almost all the petrol pumps in the city.

In Delhi and NCR some petrol pumps say that they had enough fuel as of now but fear that panicky commuters getting their tanks full may cause a crunch later in the day.

Some pumps in Delhi are not allowing consumers to fill beyond Rs 200 to avoid shortage.

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Several domestic flights are seeing delays of upto 30 minutes at the Mumbai airport as refuelling is taking more time than usual.

IOC's seven refineries were producing only 40 per cent of their output with production being impacted at its key refineries of Panipat and Mathura.

Its Koyali refinery in Gujarat was producing only 25 per cent of the normal output, while BPCL's Mumbai refinery was operating at 70 per cent of its capacity.

The government admitted there were shortages but said the situation was under control.

IOC had called in the Territorial Army on Wednesday to take vigil and pre-empt any kind of disturbance.

Over 50,000 officers of 14 public sector oil companies are on strike demanding pay revision.

The strike comes in defiance of High Court orders passed in November 2008 which restricted oil PSU employees from going on strike until the next hearing of their case scheduled for February 6.

On Wednesday, 17 officers were suspended. Of these 11 were from Oil and natural gas Corporation (ONGC) and three each from IOC and Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL). Two ONGC union members were arrested.

(With inputs from PTI and UNI)