Mizo: Oil transporters threaten to go on strike

Aizawl, Jan 30: Mizoram may face petroleum oil and lubricants (POL) supply shortage as the Mizoram Contractors Associations have threatened to go on strike from February 1 demanding rate hike for carrying oil from depots to petrol pumps.
''The term of contract have already expired in December last year. But we cannot stop working because the state will suffer,'' contractors' union leader PB Lalzuithanga said today.

At the existing rate, the contractors were carrying POL at Rs 2.18 per RTKM (round trip per kilometre) which is ''very unprofitable''. They started with Rs 1.93 per RTKM from October 1, 2003 on a two years contract. The contract was extended for another year from October 1 2005.

However, the increased rate did not match with the soaring oil price hike.

On the other hand, the IOC insisted that they could not increase the transportation rate while the Centre was against increasing oil price even through most countries have hiked oil prices. Besides, the IOC losses in Mizoram was huge, IOC sources have reportedly said.

UNI