The talks between the government and striking oil PSUs failed late Thursday night over the officers' insistence on getting an immediate hike in their wages as the agitation entered the second day threatening a major disruption in supply of petrol across the country.
The talks between the government and striking oil PSUs failed late Thursday night over the officers' insistence on getting an immediate hike in their wages as the agitation entered the second day threatening a major disruption in supply of petrol across the country.
"We have had some discussions but we are yet to reach a conclusion. We will continue to have discussions," Indian Oil Corporation Chairman Sarthak Behuria told reporters after Petroleum Minister Murli Deora held a two-hour meeting with the striking officers that ended at Noida an hour after midnight.
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Officials said the striking executives pressed for an immediate in their wages as an interim step before a final settlement is arrived at.
President of Oil Sector Officers' Association Amit Kumar said, "the talks are inconclusive and our action is on." He said Deora "has assured us that he will take up with the Prime Minister again the issues raised by us" and the talks would continue.
Deora is likely to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today afternoon on the issue after the meeting of the union cabinet in the morning. Petrol pumps in many parts of the country went dry and more are expected to run out of stock by today as a result of the strike by oil PSU officers, provoking the government to ask company managements to sack close to 70 executives leading the agitation.
Nearly 30 per cent of petrol pumps in Delhi and about 100 in Mumbai went without petrol and diesel while there is a minimum 7-day wait period for delivery of domestic LPG gas.
Long queues of vehicles built up in a number of cities as drivers queued to refill petrol and gas and some pumps rationed fuel. At the airports, absence of officers led to delay in refuelling of airplanes and some flight were delayed.
CNG filling stations in Mumbai went without gas after officers in ONGC stopped natural gas production off Mumbai shore. Delhi may also see a CNG crisis today.
After the governments of Delhi and Assam, authorities in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra invoked ESMA to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies.
Delhi and Uttar Pradesh Police raided an IOC premises in Noida where OSOA leaders had gathered after hiding for two days but no one including President Amit Kumar could be arrested as they made good escape during the lien the company management took from them to conclude talks.
The two ONGC officers arrested on Wednesday were released by the court on condition that they give an undertaking not to strike or instigate it.
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