As part of their retail network expansion plan, India's three state-run oil-marketing companies would open 5,125 petrol bunks in Tamil Nadu over the next two years, said a senior official of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Sunday.

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The three companies are IOC, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd., and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. "The three companies plan to add about 5,125 new dealerships, as demand for oil is growing. The demand for petrol is growing at 8 per cent per annum and diesel at 4 per cent," R. Sitharthan, Executive Director, IOC, and also the state-level Coordinator for oil industry, told reporters here.

As on April 1, 2018, the three companies had a retail network of 4,844 petrol bunks in Tamil Nadu. The planned retail expansion will take the number of outlets to 9,969. The three players will populate the market with their retail outlets, giving the private players like Essar a tough time.

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He said the fuel outlets will come up along new highways, agricultural pockets and industrial hubs. Sitharthan said the process of application for dealerships and allotment has been simplified.

"For the first time, a computerised draw of lots would be held, and opening of the bids would be held under the supervision of an independent agency for greater transparency." Sitharthan also said the three companies would expand their retail outlets in Puducherry by 132 units, taking the total to 262 bunks.

Indian Oil plans to add 2,615 new outlets, Hindustan Petroleum 1,515 outlets and Bharat Petroleum 1,127 outlets in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.