As a mark of protest against no increase in the commission of petrol pumps by the oil marketing companies (OMCs), petrol pump dealers across Maharashtra has decided to not purchase for one day on Tuesday, May 31. They have been demanding an increase in dealer margin/commission.
However, the motorists and commuters won't be impacted as pumps will remain open and there is enough stock in the fuel banks, sources said.
The Association said the reduction in prices of petrol and diesel by the central government through excise duty cut has put the burden on petrol pumps leading to further losses.
Apart from Maharashtra, the Association said petrol dealers from other 23 states -- include Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sikkim and West Bengal -- will join the protest.
Recently, the government announced a record INR 8 per litre cut in excise duty on petrol and a INR 6 reduction on diesel.
Meanwhile, the dealers’ association claimed that there was an agreement between OMCs and the association that the dealers` margins will be revised every six months, but this has not been done since 2017.
Despite a drop in the fuel rates across Maharashtra, it is pertinent to note that the prices are still high compared to neighbouring states, especially the BJP-ruled states.
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