Kolkata petrol pumps run dry

Several petrol pumps in Kolkata and south Bengal went dry with the strike by oil tankers entering the third day today as industry officials sought the intervention of the state government to end the impasse.

"On behalf of the oil industry we requested Civil Supplies Minister Naren Dey to immediately intervene to end the strike or it would affect vehicular movement," general manager of Indian Oil Corporation, Gautam Dutta told PTI.

The minister, he said, assured oil industry officials of looking into it.

Dutta said that several pumps in the metropolis and south Bengal had already gone dry and if the strike continued further it would affect vehicular movement seriously.

The West Bengal Tankers Association had stopped placing tankers in oil depots of IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum and IBP since September 6 in protest against the decision by oil companies not to allow 15-year-old tankers to carry petroleum products.