The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Fuel crisis in Chennai blows over

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Thursday, Jul 03, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Fuel crisis in Chennai blows over

N. Ravi Kumar and T. Ramakrishnan

Oil firms asked to ensure sufficient replenishment
Companies told to appoint coordinators to monitor the stock position

CHENNAI: It was business as usual on Wednesday for most petrol bunks in the city and the suburbs, with oil marketing companies pumping in substantial quantity of petrol and diesel in an attempt to tide over the nearly three-day-old fuel crisis.

Barring some retail outlets where queues of vehicles were seen in the morning and for sometime in the evening, there was no rush for the fuel as reported since Sunday evening.

Senior officials of the oil industry told a press meet on Wednesday evening that normality was being restored and there is no need for the customers to panic. “We have sufficient stock … loaded [in tankers], 7,500 KL of diesel as against the average daily off take of 4,800 KL and 3,300 KL of petrol against the requirement of 2,085 KL,” said V.K.Jayachandran, Coordinator of oil industry (Tamil Nadu and Puducherry).

Noting that situation has turned around in the last 24 hours, he said the stock on hand with the oil companies, at the Tondiarpet and Korrukkupet terminals, was 16,500 KL of petrol and 24,000 KL of diesel. The Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd holds 2,000 KL of petrol and 17,000 KL of diesel.

The press briefing was held hours after the State government held discussions, something that it had been doing since Monday, with officials of the companies. At the meeting, Food and Civil Supplies Minister E. V.Velu said the companies, namely Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, must ensure that the replenishment was sufficient so that the stock available does not go below 30 per cent of the capacity of oil bunks.

The companies were also told to nominate special coordinators to monitor the stock position and ensure that shortfalls were made good. To normalise the distribution of petroleum products, immediate steps should be taken and the details regarding the opening and closing balance should be furnished to the Food Secretary and Civil Supplies Commissioner, an official release said.

Retail outlets, by generating awareness of the benefits of branded fuels, could sell them if people wanted. But such outlets should also make available regular fuel. The meeting decided that the oil companies together with consumer forums and the district administration hold awareness campaigns in every district.

Slippage in arrival

Queried on what led to the fuel crisis, senior officials of the companies told mediapersons that a slippage in the arrival of an import consignment of diesel by the BPCL was the reason. When diesel stock came down, there was panic buying of petrol as well by the customers.

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