LPG and petroleum dealers of Gujarat are in a mood to take up cudgels against the state government as well as oil marketing companies. The All India (LPG) Distributors Federation (Gujarat) decided to join hands with the Federation of Gujarat Petroleum Dealers Association at its meeting on Sunday. Both the associations will take up the issue of marketing discipline guideline (MDG) with public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs).
PM Patel, president of the All India (LPG) Distributors Federation, said OMCs impose heavy fines ranging from Rs20,000 to Rs25 lakh on the dealers for slightest mistake or non-compliance ofguidelines. LPG distributors are also demanding removal of license system in the state. "The LPG distributors in Kerala had challenged the license system of LPG in the high court and got a ruling in their favour, so we are also planning to follow the same," said Patel.
The distributors have written a letter to the state government to increase home delivery charges in line with the hike in fuel prices. At present, the government has allowed to recover Rs1 per kilometer for home delivery of LPG cylinder to customers residing more than five kilometers away from the boundary of particular civic authority where in agency is located.
"The state government increased this allowance way back in 2004 and since then fuel prices have gone up by around Rs13 per litre. So we have demanded hike in line with rise in fuel prices," said Patel. Distributors have given one month time limit to the state government. "Afterwards, we will stop home deliveries of such customers," he said.
The petroleum dealers in Gujarat, at a meeting on Saturday, decided increasing the prices by around 15 and 10 paisa per litre in petrol and diesel. The dealers plan to implement the price hike from April to compensate the losses they have to suffer because of evaporation of petroleum products. The Federation of Gujarat Petroleum Dealers Association took the decision to this regard at its meeting on Saturday.
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