SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Petroleum Dealers’ Association (MPDA) urged the state government to come out with notification to declare strikes as illegal especially in matters of Petroleum Products and LPG.
In a statement issued here, the MPDA said the petrol pump running are out of stocks in and around Shillong due to boycott of loading of petrol tankers by the tanker association of Assam controlling loading terminal from Guwahati since last four days.
Pointing to the “regular act of the tanker transport Union of Assam,” the MPDA urged the state government to take up the matter with Assam counterpart to ensure uninterrupted petroleum and LPG supplies to Meghalaya.
In the wake of strikes called by petrol pump dealers, the MPDA said, “This is high time that Government of Meghalaya must take all urgent steps to reopen the closed Umiam Depot of the Indian Oil which was previously use to keep 30 days’ buffer stock for the State of Meghalaya to meet any crisis.”
The organization recalled former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had met Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The MPDA said the tanker drivers of Meghalaya are threatened with dire consequences including burning of their filled takers in case few they report at the terminals to load the tankers defying union’s orders.
Meghalaya administration must take immediate note of the situation seeing the suffering of the public at large because of the frequent disruption caused by agitating tanker transport Union of Assam.