Get your car’s tank full soon, because most of the petrol pumps in Jamshedpur do not have oil
Earlier, the prices of petrol and diesel were high, then the public was mourning. Now only the petrol pumps have started drying up. Due to non-availability of oil, about half a dozen petrol pumps in the city are getting closed day by day, which is causing problems to the common people. Pump operators say that we are not getting regular supply of petrol and diesel. Because of this we have to temporarily shut down the pump. This problem started in late May, which is gradually increasing. This is a new kind of crisis. The concern is that if this crisis starts increasing, then vehicles will start parked everywhere.
Rajiv Singh, joint secretary of Jharkhand Petroleum Dealers Association, says that petroleum companies are incurring losses, due to which they have reduced the supply. HPCL is buying petrol for Rs 109 and giving it to the dealer for Rs 96-97. Indian Oil’s situation is a bit fine, due to which its dealers are not facing much trouble right now. However, Alok Singh, the pump operator of Indian Oil, says that we have also stopped getting credit. Earlier petrol and diesel were supplied, after that we used to give money. Sometimes they used to sell and give money, now it is not so at all. He also believes that HPCL and BPCL dealers have more problems. A businessman resident of Sakchi told that HP’s petrol pump near the Gurudwara was open overnight till one-and-a-half months ago, people used to fill oil here at any time in the night with rest. Now it is closing in the evening only. This pump is closed since Saturday. The same situation is with the petrol pump located in Kagalnagar market of Sonari, which is also closed since Saturday.
Only two solutions to the problem
Kunal Kar, general secretary of the Kolhan Petroleum Dealers Association, says that this crisis has increased since May 22, when the price of petrol and diesel was reduced by seven to eight rupees. At that time, petrol pump dealers across the country had to suffer losses ranging from three to ten lakh rupees, because on Saturday the dealers had bought extra oil for Sunday and Monday also. There is no booking of oil on Sundays. This problem will be solved only when the price of crude oil falls in the international market or the state government reduces VAT. Otherwise, this crisis may increase in the coming time.
