“Due to the strike by the oil sector, there has been a downward trend in the loading of the Vadodara division’s freight services. The reason being that most of the freight business at this division is carried out from the fertiliser and oil sector. While the fertiliser sector is at KRIBHCO-Surat, the oil sector is located in areas lying in Vadodara division,” said Suhas Kumar, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Vadodara.

There has been low production at fertiliser units such as KRIBHCO due to shortage of gas.

This in turn has hit freight services at Vadodara division.

Meanwhile, D K Chanchodia, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (DCM), said: “Vadodara division makes at least Rs 1.90 crore from freight services daily. This amount has come down to Rs 1.63 crore due to the strike. This means that there is a loss of Rs 27 lakh per day.”

Most of the loading at Vadodara Railway Division occurs at Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)-Bajwa, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation-Kawas and KRIBHCO Fertiliser and Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilisers Company Limited-Bharuch.