Petrol crisis hits IOCL pumps
Mumbai   24-Dec-2010

Even after the hike in petrol prices, the fuel woes of the city's consumers don't seem to have ended. Around 40 to 50 IndianOil (IOCL) petrol pumps in the city are not getting their supply of petrol.

The supply has been hit because the consignment arriving at the IOCL depots at Sewri and Wadala did not match the required specifications. However, diesel supply has not been affected at all. "There has been a problem for ten to 12 days now," confirmed a petrol pump owner, requesting anonymity. There are around 40 petrol pumps facing this problem in Greater Mumbai and a few more in the areas of Thane and Navi Mumbai.

"Petrol comes from a refinery to the terminals and depots like Sewri and Wadala and is then supplied to the outlets. It was at the depots that it was found that the product does not match specifications. Therefore, the entire batch did not reach the petrol pumps, resulting in a shortage of petrol," said Mr Ravi Shinde, president of Federation of All Maharashtra Petrol Dealers' Association.

Mr Shinde said that there is a mutual understanding among all the petroleum companies to help each other out during a crisis like the present one. However, the shortage is so huge that if other companies help IOCL, then they may also fall short of fuel. Mr A.N. Jha, spokesperson of IOCL, however, said there was no such problem. "There is no shortage of petrol at any of our depots including Wadala and Sewri. There may be a problem at the pumps operated by other companies."

"All the other pumps operated by the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited received their regular supply of petrol. The problem is limited to IOCL outlets only," said Mr Shinde.

Another petrol pump owner claimed that the IOCL officials were asking them to arrange for a contractor to transport petrol from their Hazira terminal near Surat. "If we get it from Hazira, we face an outright loss of Rs. 50,000 due to handling, evaporation and logistical issues. Moreover, it takes three days for the tanker to reach the pump. The option is entirely a loss-making proposition." said Mr Shinde.