BPCL outlets go dry, dealers in limbo

Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, November 12

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) dealers are facing a tough time as the company has failed to meet their demand for fuel. There are around 100 BPCL petrol stations in the state and many outlets have no stock to sell.

Sukumar Singh, president of the Himachal Pradesh Petroleum Dealers Association, said here on Wednesday that the pandemic had adversely affected their business and now the poor supply to some dealers had added to their woes.

He said there were 10 to 15 workers at petrol stations and the poor supply of fuel had forced owners to either fire the employees or reduce their wages. He said more than 2,000 families were affected. The BPCL used to supply stock from its Lahlaru refinery. He alleged that the company was supplying fuel on the pick-and-choose basis. The supply to Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir was not curtailed. He urged the state government to intervene otherwise it would be difficult to run the business.

Vipin Kumar, Territorial Head of the BPCL, refused to reply to media queries.