Public transport drivers in Çil Agha protest over delayed diesel allocations

Drivers operating on the Çil l Agha–Qamishlo route stopped working this morning and gathered at Martyr Masoum Square in Çil Agha, in the Jazira region, calling for the distribution of their allocated service diesel. They said they have not yet received their entitlements, unlike drivers in Derik, Tirbespiye, and Qamishlo, who received the first installment of 300 liters, with the second installment expected to be distributed later.

During the protest, driver Samir Ali said Çil Agha’s drivers are affiliated with the city’s drivers’ union, which is the only union that has not received service diesel allocations despite their repeated visits to the Fuel Directorates in Çil Agha and Qamishlo.

He said, “all drivers’ unions in Derik, Qamishlo, Girkê Legê, and Tirbespiye have received their allocations, while Çil Agha’s union has remained without any explanation for the delay. This prompted us to stop working and demand our entitlements.”

Ali noted that the continued denial of service diesel threatens their only source of income, calling on the relevant authorities to respond to their demands and distribute their allocations in line with other drivers.

Driver Ibrahim Ahmad said drivers have been forced for some time to purchase diesel from the open market, noting that the price of one liter is around 13,000 Syrian pounds, while a barrel costs nearly $200, increasing their financial burdens.

He added that drivers cannot raise transportation fares to compensate for these costs due to the difficult economic conditions facing citizens, in addition to rising vehicle spare-part prices. He stressed that receiving service diesel has become necessary for them to continue operating.

Meanwhile, the Fuel Directorate in Çil Agha told ANHA agency that the delay in distributing service diesel allocations to public transport drivers is due to limited quantities of service diesel supplied to the city.

The directorate said transport unions in other cities were able to distribute half of drivers’ monthly allocations using reserve quantities they had available, while the Çil Agha union had no reserve stock due to the high number of registered vehicles, which stands at around 250 cars.

The directorate added that it has contacted the Jazira Fuel Directorate to secure additional diesel supplies and address the shortage, confirming that it is awaiting the necessary allocations to begin distributing them to drivers.

A-H 

ANHA