On The Road to Vadinar-1
Circa 1990, it was the last time I shook hands with a Chairman of an oil marketing company. Sri Raj Kumar Gajree of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) over a sumptuous breakfast at his south Bombay (SoBo) residence. Forty-three years later, I was shaking hands and chatting with the Chairman of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOC), Sri Shrikant M Vaidya, again on the western coast of India — at Anjar in Gujarat on the last day of April 2023.
The 1990 Bombay breakfast meeting with the BPCL chief was as Special Correspondent for the metropolis’ tabloid, the Mid-Day. This time, I wore multiple hats: a journalist, an author, and the self-appointed ambassador of long-haul truck drivers under the banner of the Centre For Drivers Relationship Management (CDRM).
Why did IOC Chief agree to shake hands with me? Simple. Both have a common agenda. I champion truck drivers. He, too, wholeheartedly. The maximum revenue for any oil marketing company emanates from the sale of fuel. Diesel, to be precise. Who consumes diesel? Commercial vehicles, majorly. That’s where truck drivers squeeze in. Almost a crore of commercial vehicles ply the Indian highways. Without the organized representation of long-haul truck drivers, their working and living conditions are at the mercy of service seekers: fleet owners, truck makers, government, vagera vagera.
Oil marketing companies have a big role in contributing to the welfare of the truck drivers. IOC, India’s number one OMC, does its part. It has built up Driver Rest Room Facilities (DRRFs) or Sarais on the highways to ensure that tired drivers can park, rest, relax, cook, bathe, and eat in a comfortable environment. It is no rocket science to reveal that fatigue is the biggest killer. A well-rested driver translates into the safe delivery of goods and, in the process, helps India to slip down the dubious table of road accidents from occupying the top slot.
Besides caring for the truck drivers’ welfare, IOC is equally committed to fighting the carbon emission challenge to support the government’s commitment to the global warming goal. Hence, IOC offers low-carbon fuel. Xtra Green Fuel is one such initiative. CDRM joined with IOC to spread this important message among the truck-driving fraternity.
That’s fine. But why Gujarat? Why Anjar, especially? Good questions. The fuel station from where the IOC chieftain flagged off the Xtra Green Fuel Yatra on the evening of April 30, 2023, is the first IOC pump set up in India in 1961. Thus, this petrol bunk has historical links with Indian Oil’s march towards energy independence.
That’s how I came to shake hands with IOC chief, along with one of the co-founders of CDRM, Syed Kausar Hussain, and set on the Yatra to Vadinar, say 280km away from Anjar over the next five days.
Why Cycle? Hang on. I will be back.
