UP petrol pump owners call off strike

FOLLOWING A CRACKDOWN on errant petrol pumps across Uttar Pradesh by the Special Task Force (STF), some of the pump owners went on a strike in Lucknow late Monday. However, most of the stations were opened by afternoon after a delegation of Lucknow’s petroleum dealers met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma and top government officers.

Sudhir Bora, general secretary of Lucknow Petrol Diesel Distributors Association, said the delegation met Adityanath, Sharma and others on Tuesday at 11 am. “The Chief Minister has assured us that we will not face any harassment during inspection drives,” he added.

Bora also claimed that the dealers had not called a strike but many pumps were closed due to unavailability of workers. “There was no strike. For about 10 to 15 hours, stations were closed, as there were no workers. Petrol pump employees have been traumatised by the police action. But now, all stations have opened after the government’s assurance,” he said.

“We assured petrol pump owners that they should not be afraid of any action if they are running their business honestly. They have called off their strike,” Additional District Magistrate (Civil Supplies) Alka Verma said.

The STF had initiated the crackdown on the night of April 27 when it raided seven petrol pumps in Lucknow. According to the force, they were tipped off that an electronic chip was being installed at the pumps helping them make a profit worth lakhs per month. The chip, costing around Rs 3,000, reduced the output by nearly five to 10 per cent. It is attached with a wire that is linked with a remote control.