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Petrol Pumps
The government is considering further easing the norms for setting up petrol pumps in the world's fastest-growing fuel market, in light of the evolving energy security paradigm and commitment to decarbonisation, according to an official order. The government had in 2019 relaxed the norms for setting up petrol pumps, opening the door for non-oil companies to enter the fuel retailing business. At that time, companies with a net worth of Rs 250 crore were permitted to sell petrol and diesel, provided they committed to setting up infrastructure for at least one new-generation alternative fuel, such as CNG, LNG, biofuels, or EV charging, within three years of beginning their operations. For companies wanting to sell petrol and diesel to retail and bulk consumers, the networth criteria was set at Rs 500 crore. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has now constituted an expert committee to review the 2019 guidelines for granting authorisation to market transportation fuels. The expe
Petrol consumption spiked by about 10 per cent in the first half of May as summer season travel led to a surge in demand for the fuel, according to provisional sales data of state-owned fuel retailers. Petrol consumption rose to 1.5 million tonne during May 1-15 from 1.37 million tonne sales a year back. Its demand was up 10.5 per cent over consumption of 1.36 million tonne in May 1-15, 2023 and nearly 46 per cent higher than Covid-marred first fortnight of May 2021. Diesel sales were up 2 per cent to 3.36 million tonne, the data of three state-owned fuel retailers, who control about 90 per cent of the fuel market, showed. The consumption of India's most used fuel has rebounded since last month. Diesel, the lifeline of transport and rural agri economy, saw just 2 per cent growth in demand in fiscal year ended March 31, 2025. In April, diesel consumption rose to 8.23 million tonne, up nearly 4 per cent over demand in the year-ago period. During May 1-15, diesel sales were 2 per cent
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said cooperative societies can now operate services like petrol pumps and medical stores. He was speaking at a state-level cooperative meet here on Sunday. The cooperative sector holds immense potential, and multi-purpose cooperative societies are being used to expand such activities in MP, the chief minister said. Now, cooperative societies can also operate petrol pumps, medical stores and other services. During the Global Investors Summit in MP (in February), agreements were signed to run factories through cooperatives as well, he said. Milk production is a proven means of increasing household income, Yadav noted. The government is making every possible effort to promote cow rearing and dairy production. A subsidy scheme has been introduced for cattle rearing, he said. Madhya Pradesh aims to increase its milk contribution from 9 per cent to 20 per cent in the national output, he said. To improve farmers' lives, the government will
The Delhi government is gearing up to enforce a ban on refuelling overage petrol and diesel vehicles in the city starting April 1. Over 80 per cent of filling stations across the city will be equipped with devices to identify deregistered vehicles. The automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras installed at petrol pumps will be capable of detecting both overaged vehicles and those lacking a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate, officials said. Delhi has around 500 fuel pump stations, and the new systems are being implemented at these locations. When a vehicle that does not comply with the regulations comes in for refuelling, the system will flag it, prompting attendants to refuse refueling, officials added. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa explained that enforcement will be strengthened through the use of modern technology, including emission-monitoring devices at petrol pumps. Vehicles without a valid PUC certificate will be flagged, and appropriate acti
Manipur minister L Susindro said police would be deployed at petrol pumps in the state. Addressing a press conference, he warned fuel retailers of legal action if they refuse to sell fuel despite having stock. Susindro, the state's consumer affairs, food & public distribution minister, said several instances have come to the fore in which people after re-fueling have left the petrol pumps without payment. "Such incidents have led to many petrol pumps downing their shutters because of financial losses," he said. "We will be deploying police personnel and staff of the Food and Public Distribution Department at petrol pumps," he said, appealing to people not to indulge in extortion. With several petrol pumps closing down in the Imphal Valley, a severe fuel crisis has hit the region. "Legal action will be initiated against those petrol pump operators who refuse to sell fuel despite stocking it. There is enough fuel in the state," Susindro said. He also said that frequent landslides
Petrol pump owners on Thursday wrote to Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, seeking a meeting with him to revise PUCC rates for Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates in the national capital. The letter comes days after the Delhi Petrol Dealers' Association (DPDA) shut down nearly 600 PUC centres functioning at petrol pumps, saying the hike was not commensurate with operational costs. On July 11, the Delhi government increased the PUC certificate charges for petrol, CNG and diesel vehicles after a gap of about 13 years. The hike ranges between Rs 20 and Rs 40. "Sir, most of the PUC centres have operated the last few years in losses to avoid any inconvenience to the general public. However, due to this extreme unviability, many PUC centres have been forced to surrender their licenses in the last few months. The Managing Committee of the DPDA had thus resolved to close PUC centres across Delhi from July 15 in light of the "arbitrary and grossly insufficient hike", it said.
Petrol pump owners said PUC centres will be shut from Monday onwards, expressing their dissatisfaction over the recent proposed hike in rates of pollution certificates by the city government. The operation of the pollution under control (PUC) centres is unviable, they said in a statement issued on Sunday. Delhi government on Thursday increased the PUC certificate charges for petrol, CNG and diesel vehicles after a gap of about 13 years. The hike ranges between Rs 20 and Rs 40. The new rates will be effective as soon as it is notified by the Delhi government, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had said. In a statement issued, the Delhi Petrol Dealers' Association (DPDA) said, "Since the operation of PUC centres is unviable, many PUC centres have surrendered their licenses in the last few months. The managing committee of the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association has thus resolved to close PUC centres at their retail outlets across Delhi from July 15 in light of arbitrary and grossly ...
Karnataka government on Saturday hiked sales tax on fuel which will make petrol and diesel costlier. According to official sources, petrol will now go up by Rs 3 and diesel by Rs 3.5 per litre. In a notification issued by the Finance Department, the government has hiked sales tax on petrol by 3.92 percentage points, from 25.92 to 29.84 per cent. On diesel, the hike is 4.1 percentage points, from 14.34 to 18.44 per cent. This notification shall come into force with immediate effect, it said. The decision comes days after the Lok Sabha poll results, in which NDA got 19 out of 28 seats in Karnataka, with BJP winning 17 and JD(S) with 2. The ruling Congress in the state has won nine seats. The move, aimed at resource mobilisation, comes after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is also the finance minister, reviewed the state's revenue generation and fiscal position. During the meeting, the CM asked officials to work harder towards meeting revenue collection targets.
Fuel outlets operating in the valley districts of Manipur have decided to shut down for three days starting Friday due to alleged "financial crisis" and "donation demands by various organisations". Representatives of the retail outlets made this announcement after an emergency meeting on Thursday, stating that any additional pressure during this time will result in further closures. On February 10, the representatives had informed Chief Minister N Biren Singh that they might be forced to close their retail outlets if the financial demands or donations exceed their capacity to pay. In the letter to the CM, representatives of the retail outlets highlighted the challenges faced by them, including a decline in sales, significant decrease in profit margins (almost 40-50%), and an "excessive number of demands for donations from various organisations." "We are facing a decline in sales due to the present crisis and our profit margins have decreased considerably by almost 40 per cent to 50
The situation was normalising at petrol pumps on Wednesday in Punjab where fuel supplies were being replenished with fresh stocks, a day after people resorted to panic buying amid truckers' strike. On Tuesday, long queues of motorists were witnessed at many places in Punjab and a few parts of Haryana over fears that stocks would run dry soon in the wake of truckers' strike against stricter punishments in the new law on hit-and-run cases. Later in the evening, authorities in some Punjab districts had said the truckers had called off their strike and urged people not to resort to panic buying. "The situation is normalising now and by evening supplies from depots to all fuel pumps should reach as before. Already, fuel supplies from the depots have started reaching several filling stations," said secretary general of the Punjab Petroleum Dealers Association Rajesh Kumar. He said no long queues like Tuesday were being witnessed at petrol pumps on Wednesday in the state. The administrat
Petrol pump owners in the national capital held a protest at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, demanding the removal of value added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel and revising their margins on sales. Representatives of various dealer welfare associations of petrol pump owners from other states also participated in the protest. The protesters demanded the removal of VAT, terming it "disruptive", and include petroleum products in the goods and services tax (GST) regime. The last revisions took place in 2017. The prices of petrol and diesel have gone up while the margins have remained constant, said Ranjit Kumar, president of Uttar Pradesh Petroleum Traders Association. It is becoming difficult for us to sustain ourselves with the current static margins and the oil marketing companies have remained unresponsive to our legitimate demands, said Paramjit Singh Doaba, the president of the Punjab Petrol Pump Dealers Association. The associations also flagged the issue of adulterated diesel. Due