Coimbatore, June 28: Indian Oil Corporation will open four more "auto LPG stations" in and around Chennai by year end, a senior company official said here today. With good response from the customers for the existing two stations, three auto LPG stations, at a cost of Rs 50 lakh each, would be opened in Chennai and another on the outskirts, company's general manager (Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry) S Ramachandran told reporters here.
Asked about opening such stations in other parts of the state, he said IOC has plans to open some more, including one in Coimbatore. LPG bottling plants in Kinathukadavu near here and chengalpet would be ready within a couple of months, he said.
Ramachandran, here in connection with launching of ioc premium petrol, said the company earmarked Rs 500 crore this year to modernise retail outlets to make it at par with international standards.
The company spent Rs 1,500 crore last year for modernisation, he said. On competition with advent of private players, Ramachandran said his company was confident of retaining its consumers, like defence, and protect the volume of business, by launching quality products, since "threat was more from the customers."
Stating that premium petrol, introduced in Chennai six months ago, had already captured five per cent market, he said IOC aimed at raising it to 50 per cent in a phased manner. Bureau Report