Arson attack on tankers: cooking oil, ghee mills to go on strike today

Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA) has announced to go on strike by shutting down ghee and cooking oil mills across the country from Saturday (February 18) following the burning of four National Logistic Cell''s tankers carrying consignments of edible oil from Port Qasim.
Industry sources told Business Recorder here on Friday that the tankers'' mafia had allegedly burnt the four consignments of edible oil, which were on their way to Lahore and Hattar. The event has resulted in loss of huge quantity of edible oil. The supply of imported edible oil is made by private transporters and the National Logistics Cell (NLC) from the Karachi terminal to 94 mills of vegetable ghee/oil in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Approximately 2,500 oil tankers are engaged in transportation of edible oil.
The imported consignments of edible oil were cleared from the Port Qasim and loaded on the NLC containers for transportation to the ghee and cooking oil mills. The incident has taken place despite clear orders of the Sindh High Court that no party will take law in its own hands and both the NLC and private transporters would continue smooth transportation of edible oil from Karachi to other destinations across the country.
The incident has also shown helplessness of the ghee and cooking oil mills at the hands of transport mafia, which has deliberately burnt the oil tankers causing loss to the concerned industry. Meanwhile, in a case of Edible Oil Carriage Contractors Association (EOCCA), the senior civil judge has issued an order that the NCL and private tankers would continue supply of edible oil.
Sources said the prices of vegetable ghee and cooking oil are expected to rise after closure of ghee and cooking oil mills across the country. The association has decided that the gates of all the ghee and cooking oil mills would be closed from Saturday (February 18) to show solidarity with the NLC and the strike would continue until the government gives an assurance of providing security to the safe transportation of edible oil consignments from Karachi to other destinations.
According to PMVA, to ensure smooth supply of Edible Oil to Ghee Mills all over Pakistan, National Logistic Cell (NLC) were hired by PVMA. The said services have been endorsed by Sindh High Court (SHC), Karachi vide its judgement on February 15, 2012. On February 17, 2012, Tankers Mafia flouted the orders of SHC and burnt four vehicles of NLC loaded with edible oil. The incident and non-compliance of SHC directions have created a wave of fear and un-certainty among manufacturers of vegetable ghee and cooking oil. Under prevailing circumstances the PVMA has requested Law Enforcement Agencies and concerned Ministries to take appropriate action against the miscreants and save the Industry by providing security.