Petrol supply can aggravate as tankers strike continues

ISLAMABAD: Talks between government and All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association (Apotoa) on Tuesday failed to produce a breakthrough on key disputes, as the association has flatly refused to follow the rules for oil transportation and bring improvement in technical standards of oil transportation vehicles and containers.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources called representatives of Apotoa, All Pakistan Carriage Contractors Association (Apcca), Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) in an effort to pursue the oil tankers association to call off their countrywide strike that they announced on Monday in protest against implementation of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) 2009 safety rules.

The meeting was presided over by secretary petroleum and attended by Ogra chairperson and representatives of oil tanker and OMCs. “Our talks with government have failed and the strike will go on,” said Apotoa’s Chairman Yousuf Shahwani told media here. 

After the inconclusive meeting, the rude representatives of the oil tankers association were chanting anti-motorway police and anti-Ogra slogans and refused to comply with Ogras regulation against substandard, and unsafe vehicles.

Yousuf Shahwani said that Apotoa and Apcca have presented their list of demands and the government refused to accept these. Shahwani said that they decided not to talk to government anymore as behavior of the chairperson Ogra was derogatory. “We were told by chairperson Ogra that the regulator wouldn’t talk to them as they are not their licensees,” he alleged. “He said that OMC is their licensee and they will only talk to them,” he said.

Apotoa presented 10 demands to the government which includes increase in freight rate, abolition of National Logistic Cell (NLC) from the oil transportation business, stoppage of oil transportation to Peshawar via train, opening of Kohat tunnel for oil tankers, decrease of explosive permit rate, allowance for work with same axel etc. He said that explosive department is charging Rs10000 instead of Rs1000 from them.

He said that the oil tankers association will not accept the government plan of increasing number of oil tankers' axles from two to five. Shahwani said that they had a two-axle agreement with NHA, which was in place for the last one decade.

Replying to a query regarding Bahawalpur oil tanker fire incident, he said that the company or oil tanker was not responsible for the incident and accused that people who were stealing oil were actually responsible. Chairman Apotoa warned that if their demands were not met then the strike would continue.

Meanwhile, OGRA spokesperson Imran Ghaznavi accused OMC of working behind the oil tankers strike and said that such marketing companies cannot hide for long time and will be soon exposed.

He also accused oil tankers association of blackmailing and said that "We are ready to talk with the Apotoa and can make some relaxation but there will be no compromise on the safety of Pakistanis".

Khalid Iqbal adds from Rawalpindi: Due to strike of oil tankers association, Rawalpindi has gone short of fuel and long queues of motorists could be seen at all petrol pumps.

Ogra spokesperson Imran Ghaznavi stated that in order to transport 50,000 litres of petrol, a five-axle tanker was necessary. He said that in order to transport 40,000 litres of petrol, a three-axle tanker was necessary. "For God's sake, stop playing with the lives of people," he said. "No compromise will be made on lives of people," he added.

Ghaznavi also said that the tanker mafia was blackmailing the government. He urged the association not to blackmail the government. Reportedly, there was shortage of petrol at Jhelum, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Lahore, Peshawar, Sargodha and several other areas on Tuesday night.