Oil officers’ strike on, pumps go dry

NEW DELHI, Jan 8 – Fuel supplies in many parts of the country were affected on the second day of the indefinite strike by oil PSU executives that also resulted in refineries running below capacity and impacted oil and gas production, reports PTI. Talks with Oil Sector Officers Association, the umbrella body of 14 state-run companies, failed today even as reports from several parts of the country said petrol pumps were running dry and aviation refuelling operations were getting delayed because of the absence of officers. In the national capital, about 40 per cent of the petrol pumps owned by Indian Oil and Bharat Petroleum went out of stocks, but those of Hindustan Petroleum were operating normally as the company is not part of the agitation. “We have been managing the situation till now, but there are supply constraints,” IOC Chairman Sarthak Behuria said. “If the strike continues, we may also see dry-outs from tomorrow.” There were reports of long queues at petrol pumps and delays in delivery of domestic LPG cylinders. “The petrol pumps are running low on inventory in anticipation of a petrol and diesel price cut,” he said, adding senior management personnel have been deployed at airports to refuel airplanes. The Government, however, maintained that the situation was still manageable. “Some shortages can be there but the situation is under control,” said Additional Secretary in the Petroleum Ministry S Sunderasan. OSOA President Amit Kumar, surfacing after two days of hiding, held talks with company management on their demands for higher wages. But the talks, the first OSOA attended in a week’s time, failed as the union kept harping that the Government accept their demands, Behuria said.Our Sivasagar correspondent adds: OSOA sponsored nation wide indefinite strike since yesterday morning has halted ONGC's Assam Asset, Nazira- Sivasagar ,Assam Arcan Basin, Jorhat and Gail Authority of India(GAIL), Lakwa functioning for a second day today incurring over a loss over an estimated Rs 100 crores per day.Four Officers of Assam Asset– Manoj Bhagawati, Jt Secretary CWC, AK Boruah , Working President ASTO , Diwanuddin Ahmed and Saffaruddin Ahmed ,Executive Members ASTO were placed under suspension order yesterday which have provoked angry reactions from the officers here.In Jorhat, according to sources, two officers SS Sodhi and Ranjit Tamuly and in Silchar Asset Pankaj Chetry and R Viswakarmah have been arrested in this connection . All operations and business transactions, oil and gas flow from the region have come to a grinding halt due to the officers strike called by OSOA demanding a hike in pay since the association refused to accept the increase in their salaries announced by the Ministry of Oil and Natural Gas recently.Our Duliajan Correspondent adds: The continued deadlock between the government and agitating PSU oil sector officers paralysed the operations of the region’s oil companies like Oil India (OIL), Assam Oil Division (AOD), and Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGCL) along with the rest of the nation.Exploration and production operations of OIL with its field headquarter at Duliajan remained paralysed for the second consecutive day except the emergency services and exempted critical operations considering the interest of the PSU.AOD’s Digboi refinery too remained at minimum operation level with total shut down of the production and dispatches which has led to drying up of the petrol pumps of upper Assam particularly. source: assam tribune