‘Adulterated’ diesel halts 28 Haryana buses midway

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, July 4

The supply of “adulterated” diesel from one of the fuel stations of the Haryana Roadways depot here has led to the breakdown of 28 buses, forcing the authorities to launch an inquiry.

The pump from which the fuel was supplied has been sealed. The issue came to light after several buses got stranded midway over the past 48 hours due to a fuel problem.

The diesel is learnt to have been mixed with water. Sources in the department said water flowed out of the fuel tank’s drain plug-point during cleaning, establishing that the bus engines malfunctioned due to fuel adulteration. All buses have been stationed for repair, a process likely to take three to four days. Almost half of the depot’s buses now lie grounded. The depot has around 110 buses, but 33 are awaiting renewal of insurance.

Roadways General Manager Rajiv Nagpal claimed water is suspected to have got mixed with diesel in an underground tank at the fuel station, probably due to rain. The matter, however, was under probe to ascertain the exact cause, he said. The fuel to the two roadways’ pumps here is supplied from Rewari through a tanker of an oil company.

Asserting that the buses would be made functional over the next three days, Nagpal ruled out the possibility of the adulteration having being done by the tanker supplier.

Rain to blame

• Diesel was found mixed with water, which was established during cleaning of fuel tanks
• GM Rajiv Nagpal claimed water is suspected to have seeped into an underground fuel tank
• He ruled out the possibility of adulteration by the oil supplier