Haryana petroleum dealers defer strike for a month

CHANDIGARH: Petrol pumps in Haryana resumed services on Tuesday after petroleum dealers suspended their indefinite strike against non-fulfillment of their demands, including hike in value-added tax (VAT) on diesel, following an assurance by the state government to favourably cnsider the demands.

Haryana Petroleum Dealers Association (HPDA) president Dinesh Goyal told HT that petroleum dealers withdrew their strike that began on Monday, after the state gover nment assured them that it would act on dealers’ two demands in a month’s time.

The assurance was given during a meeting of a delegation of dealers, including Goyal, with state BJP president Subhash Barala and senior officials of the excise and taxation department, including additional chief secretary Roshan Lal, on Monday evening.

“Since the government has agreed to some of our demands, we will wait for a month for the government to act and in case of its failure to do so, we will again hold a meeting to decide on the future course,” Goyal added.

He said that with the VAT hike, the diesel in Haryana now was costliest in the region, thus causing a major loss to Haryana dealers.

He added that the state government had agreed to consider their demands after reviewing the volume of sale of diesel in the state in the next three months.

Besides, he said, the HPDA had for long been demanding exemption of tax on evaporation loss of petroleum products as per the law and the state government had agreed to it.

Likewise, he said, the government had also agreed to give rebate on the property tax on the filling stations on which it had been charging commercial property tax.

There are 2,310 filling stations in Haryana.

The government has agreed to consider some of our demands. We will wait for a month for the govt to act and in case of its failure to do so, we will again hold a meeting to decide on our future course of action. DINESH GOYAL, president, Haryana Petroleum Dealers Association