Mandya DC cautions against hoarding and blackmarketing of petrol and diesel

Illegal hoarding of petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders is not only unlawful and a punishable offence, but also dangerous, DC Kumar says

Assuring the public that there is no shortage in the supply of fuel in Mandya district, Deputy Commissioner Kumar has cautioned against hoarding and blackmarketing of petroleum products like petrol and diesel.

The Deputy Commissioner, who attended a meeting in Mandya on Thursday with the representatives of Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs)- Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), besides fuel distributors, warned that strict action would be taken against those who indulge in blackmarketing petroleum products.

Illegal hoarding of petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders is not only unlawful and a punishable offence, but also dangerous, he warned and said unsafe storage of such products may also lead to serious fire accidents.

Statistics

Dr. Kumar said Mandya, which has a daily fuel consumption of 2.31 lakh litres, has a total of 182 petrol outlets spread across the district.

“Currently, there is a stock of 11.81 lakh litres of petrol and 18 lakh litres of diesel available in the district. The public has been advised not to panic or unnecessarily store fuel in cans or bottles,” he said in a statement here.

It may be mentioned here that Dr. Kumar has already instructed sales officers of the OMCs not to supply fuel in cans, bottles and similar other containers. He had cited the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) guidelines under which the retail outlets of the OMCs are permitted to dispense fuel only in the fuel tanks of vehicles that come to the outlet.

On Thursday, he said officials had been instructed to ensure that unnecessary storage of petroleum products, which is also illegal and unsafe, do lead to fire hazards. He said legal action should be taken against persons filling fuel cans and bottles without valid reasons.

Rumours

Also, Dr. Kumar said long queues of vehicles have been seen at several petrol bunks due to rumours doing the rounds about a possible disruption in petrol and diesel supply in Mandya district.

“The public has been advised not to hoard fuel unnecessarily, and steps should be taken to prevent filling fuel in cans,” he said, while pointing out that petrol bunk owners had been instructed to follow rules and circulars and prohibit filling up fuel in cans and bottles.

Superintendent of Police Shobharani V.J. and Deputy Director of Food and Civil Supplies Pratik Hegde were also present at the meeting.