Pvt, PSU petrol pumps open today

State steps in to blunt 24-hour strike by 1200 retail outlets today

Even as about 1,200 retail petroleum outlets prepared to go on a 24-hour strike from midnight on Sunday, the state government has claimed that there will not be any inconvenience to people, as all outlets of private sector petroleum retailing companies such as Reliance and Essar, along with those of the State Civil Supply Corporation, would remain open "" apart from pumps owned by public sector oil companies.

Shivlal Bhandari, vice president, Gujarat Petroleum Dealers Association, said, "The strike called to press our demands including hike in commission and transportation radiation allowance. We have been seeking this since the last few months but the government never bothers to respond. So we have no option but to go on a strike."

He said the association would resort to the one-day strike to protest the attitude of the ministry of petroleum, Government of India. The dealers, he said, are bearing the brunt of large-scale escalation in petrol and diesel prices.

Meanwhile, the state government has made necessary planning to make available adequate petrol-diesel across the state through oil companies.

Directives have also been issued to all the district collectors to make planning to ensure that consumers get adequate petrol-diesel during the strike and full police protection is made and constant monitoring is arranged as stated by deputy director, civil supply, Gandhinagar.

When asked about demands, Bhandari said, "Our demands included an increase in the commission fee and the temperature variation allowance. The commission which they presently got was only 1.27 per cent, which should be increased to at least five per cent."

The Federation is also demanding that the agreement that it signed with various oil companies should be implemented and that there should be a common price policy for petrol.

According to a state government release, all the petrol diesel dealers of public enterprise oil companies will have to continue sale of petrol and diesel to the vehicles transporting cooking gas, kerosene, petrol-diesel, medicines, vegetable, milk, water, grain, fodder such as commodities declared essential by the state government and to vehicles of hospitals, fire brigade and police as per requirement during strike period.

The petrol pump owners of Surat would join their counterparts all over the country, and keep their pumps shut on Monday, demanding an increase in commission on sale of petrol and diesel.

"We are currently paid 1.59 per cent commission on sale of petrol, and 1.27 per cent on diesel. We have been demanding since a long time that the commission be hiked to five per cent," said a petrol pump owner in Surat.