Petroleum dealers in India, who are on a two-day no-purchase strike since yesterday, have threatened to go on a full-fledged strike on November 15 to protest against their declining margins.
Besides, petrol pumps will be selling fuel for limited hours from tomorrow and will not operate on Sundays or any other government holidays, the Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers (CIPD) said.
According to CIPD joint secretary Rajiv Amaram, all the 54,000 petrol pumps across the country will observe one-day strike on November 15 if the oil companies do not heed to their demand.
"We have stopped purchasing petroleum products yesterday and today. From tomorrow, we will sell petrol or diesel or any other product according to government office timings like 9 AM to 6 PM. We will also not sell on Sundays or any other government holidays. If the government does not listen to us then we will call for a strike on November 15," Amaram told PTI.
He said petrol pumps will save considerable amounts on electricity bills if they stick to limited hours selling. The CIPD has demanded implementation of the recommendations made by the Apoorva Chandra Committee in 2011.
The committee recommended commissions of over Rs 4 for petrol and about Rs 3 for diesel per litre. The then UPA government hiked the commission on petrol to Rs 2.15 and diesel to Rs 1.28 from Rs 1 and Rs 0.70, respectively.
Amaram said the dealers are supposed to get the arrears also from 2011.
(With PTI inputs)
