Truckers protest decision to shift Ambala oil terminal

AMBALA: Truckers staged a protest against the decision to shift the Indian Oil Terminal on National Highway 44 in Ambala Cantonment on Wednesday.

The shifting of the 40-acre terminal has been pending for years. Locals have long demanded that the terminal be shifted because of the high population density around it and its proximity to the railway lines and the national highway.truck drivers, on the other hand, said the decision will affect them and their families adversely amid the pandemic. “The decision will cost me my job. Around 300 trucks were stopped today without a reason. The depot supplies to the army and air force and in case of an emergency, it will take hours to supply fuel to the vehicles and aircraft of the defence forces,” said one of the protesters, Praveen Kumar.

Truck Drivers’ Union president Vinod Kumar said , “We are being hassled. Most of us have been waiting since morning and are being asked to leave in the evening without supply.”

General manager of the terminal Ravi Sharma couldn’t be reached for a comment. A senior official of Indian Oil, Chandigarh, said the shifting process had been initiated in phases and will be complete by September.

Ambala Sadar Municipal Council executive officer Vinod Nehra confirmed that the lease of land had expired long ago and was not extended by authorities.