Oil Tankers suspend fuel supply to Kashmir Valley

Owners of oil tankers went on an indefinite strike today and stopped the supply of petroleum products to all depots across the state to protest against the recurring attacks on oil tankers and their drivers in Kashmir Valley.
Owners said the supply to security forces had also been suspended and all tankers will remain off roads till the state government provided them with adequate security amidst the widespread unrest in the Valley that had become life threatening for drivers and tanker owners.
“We have stopped the supply of petroleum products to the depots across the state and it will remain suspended till the state government provides us adequate security. Our drivers were mercilessly beaten and two of them suffered fractures in arms while around 35 vehicles have been damaged by unruly mob. We cannot ply our vehicles in the prevailing situation as it has become life threatening for drivers and cleaners,” Anan Sharma, president of J&K Oil Tankers Association, said.
“We have stopped the loading of tankers from the main depots located in Jammu from where all the supply goes to other parts of the state. Even the supply to security forces has been suspended to send the government a strong message that security of drivers should be ensured at the earliest,” Sharma said.
They had taken up the matter with the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, and Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu, to apprise them of the ground situation, he said.
There are around 1,800 petrol tankers in Jammu and Kashmir to supply petroleum products to all three regions of the state. On a daily basis, nearly 300 tankers of Indian Oil, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum supply petroleum products to the Kashmir valley and Ladakh regions.
Earlier, oil tankers had suspended supply to Kashmir valley and Ladakh regions on July 13, after complaints of attacks on the trucks and tanker drivers by youths who had allegedly brandished guns openly.
So far, about 270 oil tankers have been damaged by the protesters during the ongoing violence in the Valley following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8.
Yesterday, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali had warned that if any company stopped fuel supply or delayed transportation of fuel, stern action would be taken against the company/individual concerned.