IMPHAL, April 10: Angered by the Indian Oil Corporation’s (Sangakpham) failure to maintain a proper queue of oil tankers while feeding fuel at the depots, drivers of the All Manipur Petroleum Products Transporters union, AMPPTU has decided to cease unloading fuel at the depots immediately.
The drivers were angered by the fact that according to an RR maintained by the IOC and petrol pump owners, 20 tankers owned by petrol pumps were allowed to deposit their fuel without waiting in the queue, while around 160 oil tankers are presently stationed at the Khuman Lampak campus of the 2nd IRB unable to unload their fuel at the IOC depot with some even waiting since the past 10 days.
According to a source, the truckers are made to wait as the Oil depots are reported to be full.
The source has further informed that the IOC is using 480 tankers of the AMPPTU to fill its depot, of which 460 are of the AMPPTU while the remaining 20 belong to petrol pumps.
The disparity maintained by the IOC between the petrol pumps owned tankers and those of the AMPPTU during feeding of fuels into the depot angered the tanker drivers, said a tanker driver.
Meanwhile, the tanker drivers have also decided to cease feeding the depot until the said RR is altered or terminated, added the source from the union said.
Meanwhile, deputy general manager (operation) of IOC, Amalagum arrived in Imphal from Gauhati and held talks with the agitating drivers on Tuesday, but failed to make a breakthrough.
Sources said the talks between the IOC deputy general manager and transporter union is likely to continue tomorrow as Tuesday’s talks were inconclusive and it is expected that both sides will bring an amicable solution.