Petrol dealers’ stir from April 23

KOCHI: Petrol pump owners in the state will go on an indefinite strike from April 23 midnight, extending support to the strike called by the Federation of All-India Petroleum Traders (FAIPT) to protest against the Union government’s negect towards the various demands put forth by the association.
In a release, the Kerala State Petroleum Traders’ Association said that the traders could no longer operate their petrol pumps on the basis of a fixed commission, especially in the backdrop of frequent hikes in fuel prices.
The release also stated that the traders were facing a crisis as the commission had been fixed in an unscientific way.
Though the balance sheets of the petroleum companies showed profits, they were raising prices under the guise of recouping underrecoveries, the release said.
The statement further pointed out that the companies were setting up news pumps, each costing `60 lakh to `2 crore, even in rural areas, despite their claims of incurring losses. The association demanded that the companies should adhere to the norms while setting up new bunks.