A few tankers started ferrying petro fuels from the IOCL terminal of New Jalpaiguri from Tuesday night, their numbers increasing on Wednesday as talks between the oil company and tanker owners and drivers somewhat eased the deadlock over transport rates, but fuel supply was far from normal.

Although supply is limping back — a fourth of the 350-odd tankers are moving as of Wednesday — as IOCL authorities held talks with protesting tanker owners and drivers and promised to look into their transport rate demands, 150-odd pumps in north Bengal are still dry, owners said.

Petrol dealers have now threatened to go on strike.

“We have written to IOCL authorities, saying that if fresh supplies do not reach these pumps latest by tomorrow (Thursday), all IOCL pumps (dealers) of north Bengal will observe a two-day strike from Friday. Also, if the situation does not become normal even then, all pumps across the region will go for another two-day strike, starting January 10,” said Bikash Agarwal, general secretary, North Bengal Petrol Dealers’ Association. “We heard that supply resumed but it seems erratic as hardly 50-odd pumps received fuel.”

“The IOCL authorities should ensure that equal supply reaches all pumps at the earliest,” Agarwal added.

In all, north Bengal has around 490 petrol pumps, among which around 250 are IOCL pumps. Of these, around 200 pumps of IOCL went dry with the sudden halt in supply when many tanker owners and drivers stopped carrying fuels as they did not see eye to eye with IOCL authorities over the rate the oil company pays private tankers per kilometre to transport fuels. Trinamul’s workers’ union front Inttuc backed the protesters. However, some tanker owners and drivers had sided with IOCL, which intensified the rift and led to protests on Tuesday.

In New Jalpaiguri, where the terminal is located, authorities of the fuel company held a meeting with tanker owners and drivers.

“At the meeting, officials told us they would look into our demand of paying us the earlier rate fixed in 2014 instead of the new proposed rate that is less. They will speak with their senior officials. The tankers are again moving and we hope the situation gets normal soon,” said Inttuc leader Prasenjit Roy, who is at the forefront of the protests.

The dispute, sources said, cropped up after IOCL authorities floated a tender for tanker services, offering Rs 2.81 per kilometre, lower than the old rate of Rs 3.46 per kilometre.

On Tuesday, differences cropped up among drivers and owners. While some of them, backed by Inttuc, insisted on the old and higher rate, others agreed to work at lower rate. Both sides attacked each other with bricks and stones. Police had to rush to the spot to bring the situation under control.

To protest the attack, Inttuc, under the banner of an association of tanker drivers and cleaners, held a march on Wednesday from Netaji More of New Jalpaiguri to the terminal.

The BJP blamed Trinamul for the impasse.

BJP leader Jaydeep Nandi alleged some Trinamul leaders were trying to ensure dominance over the area. “They unnecessarily created a situation that disrupted fuel supply from the terminal. After Tuesday’s violence, people in nearby areas are panicky,” he said.

Police have been deployed at the terminal area.