Fuel-ling crisis: Shortage of petrol, diesel hits Chennai

TRUCKERS STRIKE: The shortage of fuel in Chennai resulted in massive queues outside petrol bunks.

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Keywords: Truckers Strike, Diesel

Chennai: The shortage of fuel in Chennai resulted in massive queues outside petrol bunks across the city on Monday.

Severe shortage of fuel has hit Chennai hard. As the supply of fuel has been erratic since the price hike, the big worry facing the city now is a nationwide truckers strike.

Aparna's office is just ten minutes from her home. However, she is leaving an hour ahead of time because filling fuel is a big challenge for her. In virtually every bunk that she's visited normal unleaded petrol is not available and now she's forced to fill the expensive variant's which cost Rs 59 which is Rs four more than the normal petrol.

"I have been to five petrol bunks since morning. They either have no stock or they have only premium petrol. I'm forced to pay more and buy that. What is a middle class person like me supposed to do,” asks Aparna.

It’s a problem that Chennai has faced ever since the fuel price hike. However, now things have gone from bad to worse. The nation wide strike by truck owners on July first meant it was virtually impossible to find diesel in the city on Monday.

Each petrol bunk had massive queues and the one's that were free were the one's that were empty. Petrol pump owners say the shortage is severe and could just get worse.

"There's a severe shortage of petrol in the market. So we are forced to sell only what the companies give us,” says Owner HP petrol Bunk, Tirumangalam, V Balaji.

In a city that's already desperate for fuel, the nation wide truckers strike starting on July first could only mean more difficult times.