Normal life was hit as the separate strikes called by the traders and petroleum dealers posed problems for many across the district on Tuesday.
The Statewide shutdown of petrol pumps as part of the ‘no-purchase-no-sale’ agitation called by the Petroleum Dealers Coordination Committee came as a huge blow for several motorists, many of who were caught unawares.
While many motorists made a beeline to fuel stations across the district during the late hours of Monday, there were some who had to queue up before the petrol bunks that are run by the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) and those directly operated by the oil companies.
Barring around 15 such outlets, over 220 pumps remained closed in the district, sources said.
Decision
With the petroleum dealers deciding against purchasing stock since July 9 as part of the agitation, some petrol pumps went dry on Monday evening.
While the dealers would refill their stocks on Wednesday, the shortage is expected to continue for another day.
According to Thiruvananthapuram District Petroleum Traders Association secretary P.K. Biju, the stir has been organised in protest against the alleged discrepancies in the dynamic pricing system of petroleum products and the alleged failure of oil marketing companies to install automated system at the pumps.
Price changes
“Less than 10% of the petrol pumps in the city and 5% in the State were equipped with the automated system to reflect price changes from the State-owned oil companies. Besides, the government must evolve a mechanism to insulate petroleum dealers from the losses incurred by implementing the daily revision of prices,” he said.
The strike called by a section of traders under the aegis of the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES) in protest against the alleged faulty implementation of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) compounded the woes of the public.
Participation
KVVES district president Peringamala Ramachandran claimed that over 1.25 lakh traders in the district participated in the dawn-to-dusk strike. He said the agitation was aimed at protesting the alleged harassment meted out to traders by the government.
“Around 250 shops in the State were slapped with fines, upward of ₹25,000, by the Legal Metrology Department after accusing the traders of fleecing customers. The Central government has issued directions against adopting any such measures until the prevailing confusion regarding the implementation of GST was settled. Attempts made by various sections to portray traders as a dishonest lot are condemnable,” Mr. Ramachandran said.
