The strike by a section of petroleum product transporters at Indian Oil Corporation’s Irumpanam storage facility has been withdrawn. Sources among the transport contractors claimed that the strike, which began last Monday, was withdrawn after an assurance from the district administration that the issues raised by a section of the transport contractors would be looked into and solutions suggested.
The movement of petroleum products from the IOC facility on the outskirts of Kochi to districts such as Kottayam, Palakkad Alappuzha, Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram had been affected on account of the lighting strike.
‘No formal talks’
IOC sources claimed that there were no formal discussions before the strike was withdrawn. A section of the transporters were of the view that the consortium of petrol pump dealers were getting a bulk of the work while other contractors were short of work.
The contractors also wanted a revision of transport rates of petroleum products.
The district administration and the police had intervened on Sunday to provide protection to the movement of products to some pumps within Ernakulam district in view of the possible shortage of products in different parts of the State.
