NL Correspondent
Jammu Tawi, August 21: Petrol Pumps in Jammu ran dry the whole day today and the same is expected to continue unless any heed is given to the Oil Tankers Association's demand of security cover in Kashmir. Major chaos erupted at several petrol pumps in Jammu today as the petrol pumps filled the vehicles to the last drop. The oil tankers association went on an indefinite strike from Saturday alleging that their vehicles were attacked in Kashmir by stone pelting mobs.
The oil tankers association went on an indefinite strike from Saturday alleging that their vehicles were attacked in Kashmir by stone pelting mobs.
Yesterday, there had been an announcement wherein the aforementioned organizations had mentioned the blockade of oil supplies to Valley and that Ladakh supplies were to continue.
However, oil supply has been stopped in Jammu as well and Oil Tankers Association President, Anan Sharma clarified, “The government of Jammu and Kashmir has not heard us out even once. We have repeatedly taken our grievance to authorities asking for some security cover to our drivers and conductors who are not ready to drive to Kashmir anymore. Our trucks have been damaged and the poor drivers and conductors have been stopped and thrashed in southern Kashmir and they fear for their lives.”
Sharma added, “We have appealed to the government several times in the last one month as well as over the years but they have only turned a deaf ear towards us. This is why a collective decision was taken to stop the supplies in Jammu so that our problems can be realized by everyone including the government.”
With the oil tankers' association going on an indefinite strike across the state alleging attacks on their vehicles in Kashmir by stone pelting mobs, petrol pumps across Jammu region have almost gone dry, crippling normal life. Long queues of vehicles could be seen outside the petrol stations across the Jammu region with people making a desperate attempt to refill the fuel tanks of their vehicles before the petrol pumps turn completely dry.
“We have not received new supply after the oil tankers association went on strike from Saturday, we are on the verge of exhausting whatever reserve we had at the petrol station,” Manoj Kumar, manager at a petrol pump station said. He said that all the petrol pumps across Jammu region have been seeing huge rush since early morning with.
“Some petrol pumps have already started running out of petrol and diesel and long queues are seen outside the petrol pumps which have some stock left,” Kumar said. To manage the unending rush of people waiting for their turn to refill their vehicles, the petrol pump operators had to take the help of the police to maintain law and order. “To maintain law and order and to help stop these long queues from causing traffic jams we had to deploy police outside some of the petrol stations,” a police officer said. The local residents said that they have been facing huge problem due to the strike.
The oil tankers association went on an indefinite strike from Saturday alleging that their vehicles were attacked in Kashmir by stone pelting mobs and they have also snappedsupply to the security forces including the army deployed at the Siachen glacier. “Stopping of oil supplies in Jammu is an anti-national step; this move has crippled the life across Jammu region.
Administration must initiate an enquiry to find out on whose behest the decision was taken, this is just blackmail,” Parveen Kumar who was waiting to get his vehicle refilled outside a petrol station said. Meanwhile the president of the oil tankers association said that they would not call of their strike unless the government fulfils their demands.
“Just today 70 of our vehicles were attacked in Kangan in Kashmir and three drivers were injured, we will call off our strike only after the government agrees to provide compensation for the damaged vehicles and the injured drivers and also security to the vehicles moving to Kashmir,” president of the association Anan Sharma said. The people in Jammu fear that with the truckers association also going on strike, the prices of essential commodities would increase in the region.
“We have not received fresh vegetables and other supplies on Sunday, we fear that the prices might increase if the scarcity continues,” a greengrocer said.
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