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Lockdown aftermath: Chandigarh petrol pump sales plummet 90%
Before the curfew, city pumps were selling 730 litres of petrol and diesel a day, which has come down to only 70 litres a day
Most of the city’s 35 petrol pumps have reported a 90% drop in petrol sales after curfew was imposed here from March 24.
Even as the pumps to stay open from 6am to 9 pm every day, only vehicles operating for essential services come in as curfew orders prohibit other vehicles to run in this period without a pass.
“I used to sell about 1.2 lakh litre of petrol and diesel per day but now the figure is around 11,000 litre. Only one-third of our staff is present and around 50% of the dispensers are suspended,” says Amandeep Singh, general secretary, Chandigarh Petroleum Dealers Association.
Before the curfew, approximate daily consumption of petrol and diesel in all pumps of the city was around 730 litres a day. Now it is around 70 kilo litres a day.
With employee salaries and electricity and other bills to be paid, pump owners say they are losing more money than they are making. “Fuel is an essential service and we are doing our part to make sure that the government’s essential services run effectively. There will be no shortage once the curfew is lifted and we expect sales to climb back up again,” Amandeep Singh adds.
Staff living near premises
Even as most petrol pump employees have been issued masks, gloves and hand sanitisers, some pump owners have ensured their staff stay close to the premises and don’t risk getting infected by moving around. Anil Manrao, proprietor of Mann Filling Station in Sector 49, says he has formed a team of eight staffers who have been living close to the station since curfew was imposed. “They are bachelors and instead of going home and coming in contact with others they are sleeping in a temple right next to the pump and I have provided them with enough rations to live comfortably.” Manrao says he visits them daily and will be paying them extra incentives for their services after the curfew is lifted.
No air pressure check
Not many petrol pumps are offering services to check tyre air pressure or vehicle repair during the curfew. Meenu Chaudhary, proprietor of a pump at Sector 31, says, “We are barely making any sales, so staff strength has reduced to bare minimum.”
Petrol pumps at the city’s borders were offering the services, she adds.
Due to the relaxation given by the government, pollution checking services have also been suspended.
