Staff Reporter :
Petrol pump and tank-lorry owners and workers threatened to go on an indefinite strike from October 30 if their 12-point demands are not met while State Minister of Power Energy Nasrul Hamid said, their maximum demand already filled up.
Replying to a question of reporters at Bidyut Bhaban on Wednesday evening the minister told that the drive against fuel adulterant, pilfering by measurement and illegal gas connection will be continued.
The minister said, the government will go tough action against the traders those who involved in illegal fuel trading and adulterant it which is very harmful for cars and vehicle.
He also hints that the government will not fill up any illegal demand of petrol pumps owner or any other traders.
However, Petrol pumps and tank-lorry operations will remain off until the demands are met, Convenor of the Unity Council Mohammad Nazmul Haque said at a press conference in the city on Wednesday. One of the main demands of the council is cancellation of new ‘abnormal’ lease of land charge imposed by the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) for the use of its land by petrol pump owners for the operation of their pumps.
Earlier, the petrol pump and tank-lorry owners and workers observed a 9-hour token strike to press home their demands on August 28. The demands include re-fixation of commissions on the sale of petroleum, increasing the tank-lorry fares, introducing Tk 5-lakh accident-insurance coverage for tank-lorry workers, re-fixation of evaporation and operation loss at reasonable level, giving priority to tank-lorries at the ferry terminals, banning the sale of petroleum fuel by private refiners to petrol pumps to check the fuel adulteration or allowing them under necessary legal framework.
Construction of new terminals for tank-lories in new locations and renovation of old terminals, reviewing the existing policy for petrol pump set-up, and stopping police harassment on tank-lorry operation are also among the 12 demands.
About the main demand for cancellation of new ‘abnormal’ land lease charge Nazmul Haque said the land lease charge has been raised in an abnormal ratio.
“Currently, we pay between Tk 27,000 and Tk 44,000 annually for a road-side land to operate our pumps. But once the new lease fee comes into effective, we will have to pay even over taka one crore annually,” he told reporters.
He said the new rate of land lease will be totally unaffordable which forced them to go for strike as the government does not pay heed to their demands. He informed that the Unity Council leaders had a meeting with State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Haque on September 20 but the meeting ended inconclusively.
“Now, we don’t have any option other than going for non-stop strike,” Nazmul Haque said.
