NASHIK: Over 200 petrol dealers from Nashik, Dhule and Nandurbar districts staged a sit-in protest in front of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) fuel depot, at Panewadi, near Manmad in Nashik district, on Tuesday. This was a part of their ‘no fuel purchase’ strike seeking compensation for the losses incurred by the petrol dealers due to a sudden drop in fuel prices following the Centre’s decision to reduce taxes and increase hike in their commission.
Of the total 450 petrol pumps across the district, around 225 pumps, including 60 in Nashik city, ran dry on Tuesday, while there were long queues at other petrol pumps in the district.
Bhushan Bhosle, the president of Nashik District Petrol Dealers’ Association (NDPDA), said that they did not receive fuel from petroleum companies on Monday and on Tuesday, they resorted to ‘no fuel purchase’ strike. As a result, those petrol pumps, which were functional, ran dry.
“Around 50% of total petrol pumps have run dry so far in the Nashik district. We are expecting the situation to improve if the petroleum companies restore supply by Wednesday noon,” said Bhosle.
Tehsin Khan, a senior office-bearer of NDPDA, said around 60 of the total 110 petrol pumps in Nashik city ran dry by Tuesday evening and many more are expected to run dry by Wednesday morning if we do not get fuel supply. “The supply from BPCL has completely stopped. As a result, the pressure was shifted to other petrol pumps, which also ran dry,” added Khan.
Meanwhile, the Union minister of state for health and family welfare Dr Bharati Pawar, who hails from the Dindori parliamentary constituency, held talks with Union minister of petroleum and natural gas Hardeep S Puri on the issue.
Pawar said that Puri has assured her to restore fuel supply in entire Maharashtra, including the Nashik district, in the next three-four days.
