As staff at the petrol filling stations denied selling petrol for less than Rs 500, the vehicle occupants had a harrowing time as a huge rush was witnessed at almost every petrol pump in the city.
People were seen negotiating with the petrol pump staff, while some of them got into heated verbal exchange with the latter. While most of vehicle occupants settled to shell out Rs 500 for petrol, a few of them chose to return without filling their vehicle tanks. Some of the vehicle occupants teamed up with others to buy petrol for less than `500 and paid collectively. The commuters were seen lining up at the petrol pumps but, for some of them it was worthless, as they couldn’t manage to get petrol.
Harpal Singh, who had come on his two-wheeler to the Bharatnagar petrol pump, said, “I wanted to get petrol for Rs 100 but after waiting in the queue for more than half an hour, I had to leave without taking petrol as I had only Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. When the staff forced me to buy petrol of Rs 500, I had to refuse them as I had to run other household errands for the day.”
At a petrol filling station on the Cemetery Road a few vehicle owners were seen teaming up with others to get petrol as per their requirement and then paying the ones carrying Rs 500 notes (making final payment to the petrol pump staff).
{{/usCountry}}At a petrol filling station on the Cemetery Road a few vehicle owners were seen teaming up with others to get petrol as per their requirement and then paying the ones carrying Rs 500 notes (making final payment to the petrol pump staff).
{{/usCountry}}Manoj Kumar, one of the commuters, got irate when he was denied petrol at a filling station near Jalandhar Bypass. A verbal altercation ensued between the owners of the petrol pump including staff and Kumar who was later joined by five more people. The situation was turning awry and both the parties were ready to launch physical assault on each other but the matter was brought under control with the intervention of other commuters present at the petrol pump.
Meanwhile, executive members of Ludhiana Petroleum Dealers’ Association in a press release announced that in view of customer’s convenience, Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum will be accepting Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.