West Bengal bandh: 3000 petrol pump owners to hold day-long strike today

Kolkata: Around 3000 petrol pumps across West Bengal will join a one-day strike on Tuesday (August 31, 2021).

The West Bengal Petroleum Dealers Association (WBPDA) has called for a no-purchase-no-sale agitation on Tuesday to press for its two primary demands - stopping the supply of ethanol-blended petrol during the monsoon and putting an end to short supply of fuel to dispensing stations.

The 24-hour strike will begin at 6 AM on Tuesday.

"Ethanol blended petrol is highly hygroscopic. (During monsoon) it absorbs water from the atmosphere while rainwater goes into the underground tanks at petrol pumps. It causes huge problems for both dealers and consumers. This also causes mistrust between us and buyers," WBPDA Joint Secretary Prasenjit Sen said on Monday.

Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) should create awareness among people on this and restrict the supply of ethanol-blended petrol during the monsoon, he said.

Vice-President of the association Snehasish Bhaumik said the other issue - short supply of fuel to petrol pumps by the OMCs - is a long-standing one and is invisible to others.

"A very large portion of our profitability goes in adjusting for the pilferage of fuel during transit. It can be as much as 1 per cent of the amount of fuel loaded. For example, in a typical tank lorry carrying 12,000 litres (of fuel), it can amount to around Rs 12,000," he said.