Shimla: The five day old transport strike coupled with an oil strike has left petrol pumps dry and shortages have developed in the gas, food grain, vegetable and fruit supply chain across various towns and rural areas of Himachal Pradesh while the issues at stake are yet to be resolved.
Ramesh Dhawala, food and civil supply minister asked for having special reserve stocks of diesel and petrol in states that were solely dependent upon road transport.
“Not only interstate movement of goods but within the state itself the situation is fast becoming critical,” Dhawala told myHimachal News. Unless the strikes are resolved soon, the situation here is fast becoming critical,” he said
Sukumar, president of Himachal petrol pump owners association said that most pumps in Kangra, Una, Sirmaur, Shimla, Kullu, Bilaspur and Solan districts were either dry or were operating on reserve stocks.
Long queues are being witnessed at pumps where supply is available, he said.
However, he added that the truckers strike had partially eased pressure on diesel consumption as less movement of trucks had made the fuel available for other consumers.
“The state government has not been paying heed to our warnings,” said Sukumar, “with the result that not enough stocks are stored within the state to meet crunch periods.”
Shiri Chand, excise and taxation officer at Parwanoo barrier disclosed that against a daily count of over a thousand trucks on interstate movement of goods, over the last three days the number had come down to between 150 to 200 trucks.
“No LPG gas truck entered the state in the last two days, said Chand. “Milk and bread supplies were going through but transport of vegetables, food grains and motor vehicle fuel supply stands badly hit,” he added.
“The barrier which made had a daily revenue realisation of Rs 2 lakhs has come down to Rs 25 thousand,” said the ETO.
SK Acharya, general manager food and civil supply corporation which is a nodal agency involved in public distribution system said that there was a shortage in supply of levy sugar in the state. However he claimed, “there is enough stock of essential food grains in the PDS system to meet exigencies.”
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
