54,000 petrol pumps to shut down on October 13
On October 13, about 54,000 petrol pumps across India will go on a 24-hour strike to push for various demands. One of their major demands is proper implementation of the new daily fuel price revision scheme. If their needs are not met, associations have threatened an indefinite nationwide strike from October 27. Earlier too, petrol pump operators have launched protests against daily price revision.
The dealers initially opposed dynamic pricing, saying it would take up valuable time on their end to change rates every night. They would have to wait for the state-run oil firms to convey the rates, which will be fed into oil dispensing machines and calculators, the stock position has to be taken into account and meter readings have to be jotted down.
To accommodate demands of petrol pump operators, the government had agreed to change the price revision timing from 12am to 6am. Though operators had called a major strike in June, they had then called it off.
According to Federation of Maharashtra Petrol Dealers Association President Uday Lodh, dynamic pricing has other drawbacks: operators are concerned over losses being faced by consumers as well as dealers. Bringing petroleum products under GST won't help either, he adds. Operators also want the implementation of a November'16 agreement signed with oil marketing companies, and scrapping of 'unfair' penalties under Marketing Discipline Guidelines, among others.
