Shaktiman police filling station set by the police at police lines did not join other fuel pumps in the city in observing a ‘blackout’ for 15 minutes-from 7 to 7.15 pm-on Wednesday in response to the nationwide call by the pump owners.
The pump owners have resorted to a three-phase programme, starting from the 15-minute shutdown on Wednesday, demanding revision of the dealers’ profit margins. A petrol pump owner at Astley Hall said that they had observed blackout on Wednesday for 15 minutes from 7 pm with no one being given fuel at the petrol pump.
In case the demands are not met by October 25 there will be another ‘blackout’ on October 26 for the same duration, he warned. Besides, they would stop purchasing fuel from the oil companies on November 3 as part of the agitation programme. In case the situation remains unchanged there would be an indefinite closure of the fuel pumps from November 15, the pump owner said.
As this correspondent reached Shaktimaan petrol pump that came up in memory of the State police horse Shaktimaan around 7.10 pm on Wednesday, he found customers standing in a long queue, waiting for their turn to refill tanks of their vehicles when other pumps were closed.
A customer Ashish Verma, resident of Race Course, said that he had come here finding it working. “It is a relief for us, finding it open as the fuel dealers have embarked on a staggered stir starting from Wednesday,” he said.
Head constable Vinod Joshi who was found attending to the customers at Shaktimaan petrol pump said that they were working normally as they had not received any instruction from the senior police officers to observe ‘blackout’ for 15 minutes.
“The customers would be given petrol till 10 pm, the time when it closes. We have license to sell fuel for 24 hours, but due to shortage of staff, customers are provided petrol and diesel from 6.30 am to 10 pm. Around 3,500 to 4,000 litres petrol are sold on daily basis from this petrol pump with a litre costing `70.95. Around 600 to 1,000 litres diesel are being sold from here. We got commission of `2.48 per litre of petrol while the figure is `1.72 for a litre of diesel from the oil company. The price is the same for all with no discount being given to the policemen,” he said.
Mention worthy, DGP MA Ganapathy had said while the pump cam up that the commission earned from the sales would be used for welfare of the policemen.