Pune: Citizens are foxed by the difference in fuel prices at various pumps in Pune on any given day and time.
City-based businessman, Prasanna Parmar, said he visits the pumps affiliated to all three state-owned oil companies before deciding where to refuel his vehicle.
"The prices of petrol and diesel at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited pumps, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited pumps and Indian Oil Corporation pumps differ. The difference ranges from two or three paisa to 25 paisa in some cases. Prices of petrol products are revised daily in accordance with the international crude oil prices. How are there different prices at pumps affiliated to different oil companies?" he said.
Citing an example of pumps around Karve Road and Fergusson College Road on Tuesday, Parmar said the IOC pump charged Rs 79 per litre of petrol, HPCL was charging Rs 78.93 and BPCL quoted Rs 78.95.
"The difference is negligible and hardly affects one's pocket in the long run. Petrol prices are soaring and due to these differences in prices, we end up spending even more on fuel. Time is wasted in scouting for the best price. Moreover, I do not want to pay extra for any quantity of fuel," he said.
Dynamic pricing of petroleum and petroleum products, where retail selling prices of petrol and diesel are revised daily, has brought variations in prices at different pumps across the city.
Sources from an oil company said under dynamic pricing, the daily revision of prices is done by the oil companies and there may be some difference, but not a huge one in the prices of petrol and diesel sold at pumps of different companies in a city.
Sales executive with Pioneer Group of Companies, Nitesh Pardeshi, said the price difference is prominent in the outskirts of the city.
"The price difference goes up to 25 paisa in areas like Hadapsar. I travel about 60km to 70km daily and have re-fueled my vehicle at different locations in Pune. I once visited seven pumps to get the cheapest price. The price difference at pumps of different companies bothers me as I do not know where the extra money is going. It seems like the dealers are cheating us," Pardeshi said.
Spokesperson of All India Petrol Dealers' Association Ali Daruwala said, " Petrol dealers face a major problem in the dynamic pricing policy which leads to daily price revision. There is a peculiar situation wherein customers may have to pay a difference of 25 paisa per litre when they re-fuel at different petrol pumps on the same day at the same time."
An oil company is at the liberty to charge customers of any such area that they deem fit, a premium which they can set as per the potential they see, Daruwala added.
"The problem is being faced by dealers as the customers feel petrol pump owners are cheating them under the pretext of dynamic pricing. There is utter chaos related to petrol and diesel pricing and pump owners must not be blamed for the fiasco," Daruwala said.
