Guwahati, June 5: The Numaligarh Refinery’s woes are to continue despite the hike in price of fuel

“The price hike, though welcome, will offset our losses only marginally and it will be difficult to survive unless we get a proper compensation package from the Centre,” deputy general manager (marketing) of NRL A.K. Bhattacharya told The Telegraph from New Delhi.

Discussions are on with ministry officials, but they have not yielded any positive outcome so far.

Top officials of the NRL, including its managing director B.K. Das, have been camping in New Delhi to impress the authorities to bail out the company on its mounting marketing losses, estimated to touch between Rs 650 and Rs 700 crore this month.

Bhattacharya said the price hike would reduce its marketing losses by about Rs 140 crore.

The company, on its own, had decided to go for a price hike last month but put the decision on hold following pressure from different quarters.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi had met Union petroleum and natural gas minister Murli Deora on the issue recently. The All Assam Students’ Union has also been fighting on the issue.

Bhattacharya said the NRL has to be considered an oil marketing company to get the compensation package being given to the trio of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL).

The company has started rationing its supplies at its retail outlets, which has angered its dealers.

“Such measures had to be taken so as to reduce our losses,” another official said.