STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: In 43 days of turmoil Kashmir valley has not witnessed scarcity of petroleum products and other essential items.
The State Government and other security agencies have been escorting essential supplies to different parts of the valley under tight security arrangements and ensuring its regular distribution to the consumers.
The talk of ‘economic blockade’ was used as propaganda tool by some vested interests and ill informed mainstream politicians to garner support for their ongoing agitation.
In contrast to this, Jammu, which has remained peaceful and has not witnessed even a single incident of violence or clash has been brought to standstill in less than 12 hours by the poor management of the powers that be at the helm.
Within less than 24 hours of announcement of strike by the Petrol and Oil Tankers Drivers Association, the petrol pumps have gone dry in and around Jammu and other adjoining districts and the State Government agencies are watching the volatile situation going from bad to worse without intervening.
Since early morning several pumps in Jammu and its adjoining areas witnessed long queues and by late afternoon many among them started drying up leading to more chaos on the streets. Hapless commuters were seen struggling to fill their vehicles with fuel. For half of the day, the entire BJP leadership including senior ministers remained busy in attending a public rally addressed by two Union Ministers. None of the public representative spared a thought for the local residents and their votaries who were suffering to get few litres of petrol and diesel. Under these circumstances questions must be asked, “What happened to those tall claims of State Government functionaries where stock taking is reviewed on daily basis and assurances are rolled out in reams of papers and through emails by the state Information department to media houses not to pay heed to rumors of short supply of petroleum products.
No one from the district administration came forward to inform the general public about the stock situation and how soon the crisis of shortage of petrol products would be over.
On their part, the aggrieved drivers who were beaten up in Kashmir valley have been demanding tight security before calling off the strike.
According to official sources a meeting of the representatives of striking drivers association has been called on Monday afternoon to take stock of the situation. Meanwhile the president of the oil tankers association said that they would not call of their strike unless the government fulfils their demands.
“Just today 70 of our vehicles were attacked in Kangan in Kashmir and three drivers were injured, we will call off our strike only after the government agrees to provide compensation for the damaged vehicles and the injured drivers and also security to the vehicles moving to Kashmir,” president of the association said. The people in Jammu fear that with the truckers association also going on strike, the prices of essential commodities would increase in the region.
Oil tanker strike cripples life in Jammu
“We have not received new supply after the oil tankers association went on strike from Saturday, we are on the verge of exhausting whatever reserve we had at the petrol station,” Manoj Kumar, manager at a petrol pump station said.
He said that all the petrol pumps across Jammu region have been seeing huge rush since early morning.
“Some petrol pumps have already started running out of petrol and diesel and long queues are seen outside the petrol pumps which have some stock left,” Kumar said. To manage the unending rush of people waiting for their turn to fill their vehicles, the petrol pump operators had to take the help of the police to maintain law and order.
“To maintain law and order and to help stop these long queues from causing traffic jams we had to deploy police outside some of the petrol stations,” a police officer said.
The local residents said that they have been facing huge problem due to the strike. The oil tankers association went on an indefinite strike from on Saturday alleging that their vehicles were attacked in Kashmir by stone pelting mobs and they have also snapped supply to the security forces including the army deployed at the Siachen glacier.
“Stopping of oil supplies in Jammu is an anti-national step; this move has crippled the life across Jammu region.
Administration must initiate an enquiry to find out on whose behest the decision was taken, this is just blackmail,” Parveen Kumar who was waiting to get his vehicle refilled outside a petrol station said.
“We have not received fresh vegetables and other supplies today, we fear that the prices might increase if the scarcity continues,” a trader said.
