Amid the reported fuel shortage, the All India Motor Transport Congress (AITMC) has warned of a likely supply chain disruption.
“We have been reported by our members regarding the short supply of diesel at pumps in various States like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka. This could lead to chaos as fuel shortage will disrupt the supply chains of manufacturing units and retails outlets,” AITMC president Kultaran Singh Atwal said.
According to him, the situation will surely get aggravated especially in villages and remote areas of the country where the only source of delivery mode is the trucks.
“The government is attributing the increase in demand to a seasonal surge due to agricultural activities, bulk buyers shifting their purchases to petrol pumps and a substantial reduction in the sales by private firms' sudden surge in fuel demand, leading to this shortage. Though the Government is assuring of sufficient supplies but the ground reality is quite different,” Atwal said in a press statement.
There is a concern among the transport operators as without fuel they could get stuck in the middle of the journey and fail the delivery timelines. “Moreover the perishable products in transit could lead to great loss. The delay in movement of essential commodities will also hit the people hard as their short supply will make traders jack up the prices of the essential commodities, thus making their lives miserable,” Atwal added.
The entire supply chain across all the sectors of the economy is dependent on movement of trucks and if they stop then it could lead to adverse impact on the economy of the country as well, he said.
Published 17 June 2022, 15:22 IST