Oil ministry criticises petrol pumps' plan to be closed on Sundays

Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers announced its plan scheduled to begin May 14

In what may trigger a fresh battle between petrol pump owners and the government, the ministry of petroleum and natural gas today distanced itself and criticised the move by a section of petroleum dealers to shut their retail outlets every Sunday starting May 14.

“@PetroleumMin neither endorses nor approves of move by small section of dealers to keep their petrol pumps closed on Sundays. Such closure of petro pumps by a small section of dealers will lead to inconvenience to general public,” the ministry said in its Twitter handle. Sources revealed that the ministry may consider strict actions against the dealers, if they go ahead with the plan.   

This comes after the Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers (CIPD), which claims to have 25,000 members, asked its members to shut shop on Sundays, in line with the prime minister's vision to reduce fuel consumption. By the end of March, in his first Mann ki Baat radio address since the electoral victory in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur, Modi cited fuel consumption as a major area where people can contribute to “new India”.

“If every citizen resolves to obey traffic rules, if every citizen resolves that he will discharge his duties honestly, if every citizen resolves that he will not use petrol or diesel one day in a week – these are not very big things but these will contribute to the realisation of the dream of this country,” he said according to the media reports. However, many feel this step by the association as an arm-twisting method, as the government is yet to take a call on dealer commission. 

Responding to this, the ministry said, “#MannKiBaat appealed to People of India not to use fuel once a week & not to dealers to close their pumps on Sundays.” However, All India Petroleum Dealers' Association, the premier organisation of petroleum dealers in the country, had distanced itself from this move.  “Major dealer’s federations have clarified that they don’t endorse any closure of petrol pumps on any day,” the ministry added. CIPD has presence in states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.