The State Petroleum Traders Association has flayed the reported move to wind up the IOC, HPCL and BPCL depots here. They said that there was big scope for transporting petroleum products by making use of the rail network in the state.
The Association also demanded to set up a master depot near the Vizhinjam port.
Association state president Alex Vallakalil and vice-president Syed Khan told a news conference here on Tuesday that the move to close down the southern region comes at a time when Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and other policy makers were talking about ways to minimise movement of petroleum products by the congested roads and favoured it through rail and water, and thereby prevent accidents,against the backdrop of the Chala LPG tanker blaze.
“The proposal to link main cities in the state through the gas pipeline should also be pursued seriously,” they demanded.
“After retaining and developing the existing depots of various government-owned oil companies in the southern region, new depots should be opened in Kollam, Kayamkulam, Thrissur and Kozhikode so that movement of petroleum products by rail could be realised effectively,” they urged.
“For the depots catering to the capital city alone, 200 tankers are plying with petroleum products everyday,” they pointed out.
“Movement of petro products by rail to the Kannur region has already been stopped and there is clear information that the same policy is going to be in place for other regions also,” they said.
“The Association had submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in this regard,” the office-bearers said. Association T’Puram district president P Pradeep and secretary Naveen George were also present.
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