Oil Tankers Association observes countrywide strike

KARACHI: All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association has announced to observe strike across the country from today (Monday) against ‘cold shoulder’ being given to their demands by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).

The oil tankers association has taken to the strike mode after their demands were apparently overlooked by the Ogra, and resultantly the supply of petroleum products across the country will likely to be affected, as the movement of more than 20,000 oil tankers in the country would be stopped.

In July this year, the All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association (APOTOA) and Oil Tankers Contractors Association (OTCA) had jointly given a strike call that continued for over three days, disrupting the supply of petroleum products from Karachi to the entire country in protest against what they called stringent regulations relating to fitness of their vehicles and fines being imposed by the Motorway police.

The stringent regulations were placed on oil tankers after the Ogra had blamed the association for failing to meet certain necessary requirements for their tankers including the fitness certificates.

More than 200 people were burnt to death and dozens of others injured after a fuel tanker overturned and exploded near Ahmadpur East outside Bahawalpur in Punjab province in June.