Petroleum companies have gagged petrol pump operators amid a fuel shortage in the city, barring them from displaying ‘no stock’ boards, informing customers of non-availability, or allowing queue videos to circulate on social media — and have extracted written undertakings to this effect, pump operators alleged.
A pump operator, speaking anonymously, said companies are exploiting the shortage to push premium ‘Power’ petrol. Rising international crude prices have made regular petrol sales loss-making for oil companies, and they are now recovering those losses by forcing customers onto the pricier variant. With regular petrol unavailable at pumps, motorists are compelled to pay Rs 120.13 per litre for Power petrol against the regular rate of Rs 111.83 — an additional burden of Rs 8.30 per litre.
Operators say they are caught in a bind: companies neither supply adequate regular fuel nor allow them to publicly acknowledge the shortage. The Vidarbha Petroleum Association has maintained silence on the matter despite the crisis affecting daily commuters across the city.
Current Nagpur petrol rates:
Regular: Rs 111.83/litre
Power petrol: Rs 120.13/litre
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