The Pune petrol dealers’ association has been demanding a fair trade margin from Torrent Gas since last one year as per the circular issued by the ministry of petroleum and natural Gas in November 2021.
The dealers organised a silent protest and meet Pune district collector Pune Rajesh Deshmukh on Monday. They said that all Torrent CNG stations in rural areas will go on strike if their demand is not met. The collector assured the protestors that he will take up the issue with authorities.
“Our association has around 550 registered members. Pune has been divided into two areas with MNGL (Maharashtra Natural Gas Ltd) supplying CNG to the city and Torrent Gas covering rural parts. While MNGL has been following the government circular since July 1, 2022, Torrent Gas is yet to provide the financial benefit,” said Dhruv Ruparel, president, Petrol Dealers Association Pune.
Ruparel said that several emails have been sent to Torrent Gas and oil marketing companies (OMCs) as payment is due since November 2021
“We carried out a one-day no-sale strike of CNG on October 1 with an ultimatum to indefinitely shut sale from October 20. However, on the request of Pune district collector regarding Diwali festival, we postponed it to November 1,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“We carried out a one-day no-sale strike of CNG on October 1 with an ultimatum to indefinitely shut sale from October 20. However, on the request of Pune district collector regarding Diwali festival, we postponed it to November 1,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}On the eve of November 1, the Maharashtra government released an order to fuel company to immediately pay the declared trade margins as per the ministry’s circular.
“We decided to give Torrent Gas another chance and postponed the strike by eight days. Now, the district collector has assured us to wait till year-end,” said Dhruv.
Deshmukh said, “I have appealed to them to not go on strike as it will impact CNG users in rural parts of the district. We will try our best to find a solution soon.”
Meanwhile, Torrent Gas spokesperson was unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts to contact on phone, email.