Dehradun Petrol Dealers’ Welfare Association member Amarkant Garg said on Friday that the State Government had issued the Government order (GO) on the hike in the base price of petrol from midnight of September 14 but announced this on September 15 evening. This has landed them in problem.
“The order being implemented from late September 15 evening (11.59 pm) or September 16 early morning, we sold petrol at the previous prices on September 15 evening till 11.59 pm. But the oil companies are demanding the extra by way of the hike as Government has released a GO with the implementing the same from late September 14 evening (11.59 pm) or September 15 morning (12.01 am). But the fact is that we started selling petrol at the hiked prices from September 16. This is unjust,” he said. He said they would shutter down all the petrol pumps across Dehradun on September 29 if things are not set right by September 28.
“We have approached the SlC regarding the matter. Besides, we wrote to the Secretary Finance. The latter has defended us. He said he had forwarded our letter to the commissioner Sales Tax for prompt action. We approached the commissioner sales tax too. He assured that he would put a note to the state government on the same. However, on the ground, things are unchanged for us as till date nobody has asked the oil companies not to charge us with the extra amount,” he added.
He said their decision to go on strike on September 29 is a compulsion. “We do not want to push the people of the state into hardships. But there is hardly any option other than this, given the State of things,” he said.