Kolkata: About 3000 petrol pumps in West Bengal will join a one-day strike on Tuesday (August 31, 2021).
A no-purchase-no-sale agitation on Tuesday will be called by the West Bengal Petroleum Dealers Association (WBPDA) to press for its two primary demands – stopping the supply of ethanol-blended petrol during the monsoon and putting an end to short supply of fuel to dispensing stations.
The 24-hour strike is scheduled to begin at 6 AM on Tuesday. ‘Ethanol blended petrol is highly hygroscopic. (During monsoon) it absorbs water from the atmosphere while rainwater goes into the underground tanks at petrol pumps. It causes huge problems for both dealers and consumers. This also causes mistrust between us and buyers,’ said WBPDA Joint Secretary Prasenjit Sen on Monday.
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The Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) should inform people about this and restrict the supply of ethanol-blended petrol during monsoon season, he said.
The association’s vice-president, Snehasish Bhaumik, said the other problem – short supply of fuel to petrol pumps by OMCs – has been going on for a long time. ‘A very large portion of our profitability goes in adjusting for the pilferage of fuel during transit. It can be as much as 1 per cent of the amount of fuel loaded. For example, in a typical tank lorry carrying 12,000 litres (of fuel), it can amount to around Rs 12,000,’ he said.
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