Fuel flow normal in dists affected by cyclone Fani

BHUBANESWAR: With life limping back to normalcy, oil marketing companies (OMCs) have been able to meet fossil fuel requirements of the people in cyclone Fani-hit areas of Puri, Khurda and Cuttack districts.

“The current sale of fuel in Puri district has reached three lakh litre per day which is close to the normal consumption level. As of today, 232 out of 234 filling stations in Puri, Khurda and Cuttack districts are functional and the remaining two will be made operational by tomorrow,” said Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a review meeting on Friday.

Pradhan took stock of the situation on fuel supply at the meeting which was attended by senior officials of three oil marketing companies, Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum.
“Eight mobile bowsers have been pressed into service for doorstep delivery of fuel to institutions like Government offices, banks, telecom operators and hospitals for interrupted power availability,” he said. Individuals can purchase fuel from one litre to 500 litre from the mobile bowsers to meet their personal and commercial requirements, Pradhan said.

He said the state of affairs is grim in Puri as long queues are being observed at petrol pumps. However, the situation is easing in Brahmagiri, Nimapara and nearby areas.
Lauding the efforts of the OMCs for putting in additional efforts to restore normalcy and dispensing fuel within 24 hours of the cyclone, Pradhan said he has advised major filling stations to extend doorstep delivery through barrel-mounted small vehicles. He also urged OMCs to ensure arrangements for drinking water, charging points and toilets for people in all the petrol pumps

Assuring that there is adequate stock of kerosene to meet any future demands from the State Government, the Union Minister said arrangements will be made for delivering the fuel to cyclone-affected regions.
All the 162 LPG distribution centres in these districts are operational and there is enough stock to meet the consumer demand. The daily demand for LPG in the three urban centres has increased. As against a daily demand of 4,000 cylinders, the Thursday sale was 5,700 cylinders. 
Similarly, the sale of LPG cylinders was 11,100 in Cuttack and 16,000 in Khurda on Thursday against the average daily demand of 9,300 and 13,000 cylinders respectively. 
Informing that 200 out of 234 filling stations have suffered severe damage due to the cyclone, Pradhan said plans have been drawn up for their restoration within a month.