Bhubaneswar: A day after truck and bus operators urged the government to address the fuel crisis, the transport commissioner and senior officials from oil marketing companies on Friday announced that certain fuel stations would be reserved exclusively for trucks and buses to fill diesel. They assured that the issue would be resolved within 48 hours.
Meeting Outcomes
Kamal Sheel, Chief General Manager and State Head of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), stated that specific fuel stations would be identified where trucks and buses can obtain sufficient quantities of diesel. This decision emerged from a high-level meeting attended by Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur, representatives of oil marketing companies, and members of truck and bus owners' associations.
Truck Owners' Concerns
On Thursday, truck and bus owners reported difficulties in procuring diesel at fuel stations, which had imposed restrictions on bulk sales. Truckers warned of a significant supply chain disruption in Odisha if the situation remained unaddressed. Pranab Kumar Parija, General Secretary of the Odisha State Truck Owners' Federation, said authorities suggested sending a list of fuel stations where trucks would receive diesel as needed. “They will create a WhatsApp group and coordinate with the filling stations for this purpose. We have asked officials to select the filling stations and provide us with the list for our use,” he explained.
Bus Operators' Demands
Private bus owners had threatened to halt operations if they did not receive fuel as required. They argued that buses cannot function under fuel sale restrictions at filling stations. Debendra Kumar Sahu, General Secretary of the All Odisha Bus Owners' Association, noted that officials agreed to allot at least two filling stations per district where buses can obtain diesel without any restrictions.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to people to extensively use public transport instead of personal vehicles. If we cannot ensure smooth running of buses, how can we promote public transport during this difficult time?” Sahu questioned.
