Oil cos to ensure fuel supply in flood-hit Uttarakhand

Stepping in to help relief work in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, oil companies have made arrangements to ensure uninterrupted supply of fuel in the affected areas as well as to relief teams of Indian Army, Air Force, ITBP and Border Roads Organisation.

Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest fuel retailer, positioned adequate stocks of all petroleum products -- petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG in the state.

It has also moved mobile jet fuel (ATF) refuellers over long distances in inhospitable terrain and positioned them at Joshimath, Dharasu, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Gauchar and Sahastradhara (Dehradun) in Uttarakhand, besides at Rampur and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, to ensure faster refuelling of the choppers that are taking part in the relief operations.

"Since commencement on June 19, over 350 refuellings of choppers have been carried out by IOC, and about 250 kilo-litres (kl) of ATF (Aviation Turbine Fuel) has been delivered to the helicopters involved in the rescue sorties," a company statement said.

Back-up supplies of 300 kl have also been arranged for these mobile refuellers to ensure uninterrupted availability of ATF to the Defence Forces.

IOC has also rushed LPG refill cylinders to the LPG distributors in the affected areas from its LPG bottling plants at Haridwar and Haldwani. Both the plants are operating to capacity and all efforts are being made to dispatch more cooking gas loads to the affected areas in coordination with the State Government.

Meanwhile, Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily reviewed the oil company prepardness to help the relief and rescue operations.

"It was decided that oil PSUs together would make a contribution of Rs 12 crore towards Chief Minister Relief Fund," an official statement said.