Panchkula fuel stations go on strike, motorists harried

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, November 15

Motorists were a harried lot across the city today as fuel pump owners went on a 24-hour strike on a call given by the All-Haryana Petroleum Dealers Association and the Petroleum Dealers Welfare Association of Haryana to protest the Centre’s move to reduce value-added tax (VAT) on fuel prices.

People could get petrol and diesel only at a few filling stations, including a Bharat Petroleum filling station in Sector 2, where long queues of vehicles were witnessed.

Desperate motorists rushed to petrol pumps in the border areas of neighbouring Chandigarh and Mohali.

Ram Lal (40), a construction contractor, said he first went to a petrol pump in Sector 5 and then in Sector 9 for refilling the tank of his two-wheeler. However, both filling stations were closed. He had no other option but to visit Chandigarh to refill the tank of his vehicle.

The recent reduction in excise duty on fuel prices had brought some respite to consumers, but petrol pump owners have claimed huge losses and demanded compensation for it.