Soon there will be no free air filling facilities, drinking water or toilet facilities at petrol bunks. The escalating labour cost and expenditure that has to be borne by the petrol dealer will soon be forwarded to the consumers which means next time you get your fuel tank filled, you will have to pay for getting air filled in the tyres.
There are about 875 public sector petrol bunks in and around the city that will enforce the rule after a written approval from the oil ministry. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, president of Karnataka Federation of Petrol Dealers’ Association, Bhushan Narang said: “We have no choice but to charge consumers for the facilities we were providing free all this while. The oil ministry has to decide on the rates to be imposed on various facilities at the petrol bunks that will be recovered from the customers. The ministry has formed a committee that will fix the rates. Meanwhile we will have to wait and watch. The new rule will be implemented once we get a written approval from the ministry.”
Petrol dealers had threatened to go on an indefinite strike from April 23. But the strike was called off after a written assurance from the Union government about acceptance of their demands. The foremost demand of the petrol dealers was to charge for free facilities that have been provided at the petrol bunks. The demand was put forth to the ministry because of an escalation in the labour cost.
Sources have stated that charges may be fixed for the facilities. The charges would depend on quality of facilities to be offered by dealers. However, the private sector petrol dealers may not charge their customers for facilities. “The committee recommendations are applicable only to public sector petrol dealers, the private dealers have nothing to do with it,” said Jai Kumar, director at Dolphin Motors Pvt. Limited, a private sector oil dealer.