Petrol pumps up anger

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Diesel shortage has become a huge headache for vehicle owners as several pumps here have run out of stock with many others going dry and displaying ‘Diesel Out of Stock’ boards in the city.

The oil companies have failed to meet requirements for the past few weeks and the shortage has become acute over the past few days.

Fearing a hike in diesel prices motorists have been queuing up in front of petrol pumps adding to the traffic chaos.

“I have been running from one pump to another, but I could not get diesel for my vehicle, now I can’t even go home,” said a worried driver who was seen pleading with a sales person at Hindustan Petroleum station in Anna Nagar for a little bit of diesel.

The problem existed in other petrol stations in the city, including that of IOC and Bharat petroleum. Worried over reports about a possible hike in diesel prices, panicked diesel car owners drove from one pump to other to fill their tanks.

Admitting that the problem had been prevalent for the last one month, an official of an oil company said, “Oil refineries shut down their units for maintenance works during April and May.

A few companies, including one that supplies to Chennai, are yet to restore refining. This is the reason for the problem and it would take time before it returns to normalcy.”

Left parties protest petrol price hike

Left parties, on Thursday, staged protests against the steep hike in petrol price announced by oil manufacturing companies.

CPI state secretary D. Pandian led a protest at Saidapet while CPI (M)—affiliated youth organisation DYFI staged a protest outside Indian Oil Bhavan.

“After hiking the petrol price 18 times in its second term, the UPA government has increased the price by 10 per cent,” Mr Pandian said, pointing out that the hike was announced a day after the budget session came to an end.

He also announced a statewide agitation would be staged on May 26 condemning the hike in petrol price and demanding its immediate rollback.

Around 25 DYFI activists were detained as they did not have permission to stage a protest, police said.

The activists demanded immediate rollback of the petrol price as it affects the common man and middle class people.

Slamming the petrol price hike, MDMK leader Vaiko said the state government should reduce the 27 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on fuel to minimise impact.

“The hike, citing the falling Indian rupee, amounts to daylight robbery. The Indian rupee is depreciating because of the wrong economic policies of the UPA government,” he said in a statement.

“If the state government reduces VAT on petrol, it can help minimise the impact of the price hike,” he said while condemning the Centre for its “anti-people approach”.