Petrol pumps may remain shut on Sundays

MUMBAI: Petrol pump owners have threatened to not purchase petrol and diesel for a day on May 10 and subsequently shut outlets every Sunday if their demand of higher margin is not agreed upon by the government.

The weekly Sunday off will start from May 14 while from May 15, dealers will operate from 9 am to 6 pm to cut costs.

The petrol dealers association said that the 'No Purchase Day' on May 10 may not cause much disruption, but it was aimed at telling state-run oil marketing companies that they are opting for 'war path'.

They had earlier withdrawn a strike in January after the OMCs promised dealers to revise commission. They said the agitation would continue till the business becomes viable and higher margins are announced. The decision was taken at a meeting of the consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers, which has 53,000 members.

"The decision would be applicable after May 10 unless the government intervenes. The resolution has been taken as the oil companies have not released the dealer margins since 2011," Ravi Shinde from the Petrol Dealers' Association said.

Currently, many outlets function between 6 am and 10 pm while some are open round the clock and seven days a week.