The strike by workers of state-owned oil firms Hindustan Petroleum Corp and Bharat Petroleum Corp to oppose privatisation of the cash-rich refiners entered the second day on Wednesday but operations and petroleum product supplies remained unaffected.

While officers of the two PSUs, who are not participating in the strike, filled-in for workers at refineries and LPG bottling plants, there were reports of employees picketing plants and denying management staff entry at some places in West Bengal, official sources said here.

The striking union president Ashok Singh said some 30,000 workers belonging to 26 trade unions of HPCL and BPCL struck work for the second day on Wednesday but admitted officers were not taking part in the strike due to restrain orders by courts.

Sources said there were reports, from some parts of the country, of tanker lorries, transporting petrol and diesel, being turned away due to lack of staff.

However, they maintained that there was no loss of production or sales as marketing and refinery operations were being run by the management staff and some of the workmen of the unions who have not participated in the strike.

Besides positioning three units of territorial army for operations of plants, the Government has made elaborate arrangements to ensure product supplies were not disrupted at any place.

State-owned Indian Oil Corp is on a stand-by to meet any deficits, they added.