IOC moves fuel to Kerala from southern states
Chennai, Aug 21 : Energy major Indian Oil Corp (IOC) is meeting the entire aviation fuel needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF) flights in Kerala, moving the fuel from other southern states, said a senior official.
"The aviation fuel demand at Thiruvananthapuram airport has shot up drastically from about 180 kilo litres (KL) per day to about 550 KL/per day. We are moving the fuel from Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Mengaluru and even from Hyderabad," Sabitha Natraj, General Manager (Corporate Communications) South Zone, told IANS.
She said it was a logistical challenge for the IOC to cater to the increased needs of Kerala that was affected by floods as supplies to various markets had to be diverted without affecting the demand and supply situation anywhere.
An IOC official said the truck operators had to be cajoled to take the supplies to Kerala.
The fuel needs of civilian flights were also met by IOC at the Thiruvananthapuram airport.
Natraj said the IOC's aviation team reached the aviation turbine fuel to upcountry locations like Palakkad where IAF choppers operated rescue efforts.
From refuelling 8-10 flights per day, the flight numbers in the Kerala capital had shot up to 80-90 a day due to relief work post floods, she said.
According to her, IOC has also moved 1,861 KL of petrol and 1,913 KL of diesel from Madurai and Coimbatore and 523 KL of aviation fuel from Sankari in Salem district in Tamil Nadu and Chennai to Kerala between August 17 and 20.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Time will reveal if leadership change in Karnataka is imminent: Shivakumar
Hubballi (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said time will tell if the state will see a new CM after the by-elections to two assembly seats.
Bypolls for the Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly constituencies will be held on April 9. The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, respectively.
"Why are you worried about it? There is no need to make it an issue... I have already said that time will answer it," Shivakumar told reporters in response to a question about whether he would become the CM and if there would be a leadership change after the bypolls.
Responding to statements by some leaders, including Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, that incumbent Siddaramaiah will be CM till 2028, he said, "I'm not ready to comment on statements made by others. I'm the party president... either the CM or I will have to speak on this matter. Other than what the two of us say, the rest is immaterial."
Asked about the secret behind his patience, Shivakumar replied, "Time will answer."
Recently, Siddaramaiah had said that the Congress government will remain in power for two more years and that he is the Chief Minister of the state.
The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.
The speculation has been fuelled by the reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar at the time of government formation in 2023.
