Fuel crisis: vegetable prices up by 50%

While private vehicles inched through serpentine queues in front of fuel stations across the city...

While private vehicles inched through serpentine queues in front of fuel stations across the city, state-owned buses and suburban train networks saw an increased number of patrons on Tuesday, the fourth day of a fuel shortage that has gripped Chennai.

The shortage of diesel — according to V K Jeyachandran, state-level co-ordinator of oil industry, Tamil Nadu & Puducherry, it is due to “delayed receipt of diesel through coastal tankers by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL)” — led to a near chaos on the streets of Chennai, with the crowds at the stations growing as the day progressed.

Vegetable prices have shot up by about 50 per cent since Saturday, said retail traders. Out of ten lorries that are carrying vegetables to Chennai, about six are waiting at the border due to diesel shortage, said vegetable wholesalers.

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“After the shortage started pinching on Monday, many traders from Chennai sent their staff to the border to buy diesel so that the goods could be delivered here. By then, at least 3 kg in each bag had been spoilt, which jacked up price in the retail market,” said S Soundararajan, president, Koyambedu Licensed Shop Owners’ Association.

The Koyambedu market, the largest perishables market in Asia, receives around 50,000 tonnes of goods a day.

The minimum tariff of share-autos, a common transport service that accommodates up to 10 passengers, went up by Rs 2 to Rs 5, while many others such as single-vehicle taxi services and driving schools have suspended their operations till the shortage is over.

According to a joint statement by the State Level Co-ordinator of Oil Industry and the oil-marketing companies represented by the State Executive Director of Indian Oil Corporation, this shortage in BPCL retail outlets led to diversion of customers to other outlets run by IOC and HP, thereby depleting their stock.

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The present crisis, insisted the statement, was “only a logistics issue, and there is therefore no need for any panic or concern regarding regular and normal availability of diesel and petrol at the retail outlets of the PSU oil companies.”

However, the situation on the streets was not encouraging for the end users. “In their panic, everyone is trying to fill their tanks instead of buying what they need. This in turn has affected our stocks and has also led to altercations when we refuse to supply beyond a limit,” said a retailer.