Petrol pump strike in Delhi: Motorists caught unaware

Petrol pump strike in Delhi: Several motorists were caught unaware as petrol pumps across the national capital were shut Monday in protest against the Delhi government's refusal to cut Value-Added tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel. Deepak Tripathi got to know about the strike only after reaching a pump in central Delhi.

"I had to go to Noida for a meeting and had halted at a petrol pump. I was informed that the pump was shut. I parked my car at a metro station and decided to take the metro," he said.

Another motorist, Nikhil, had a similar tale to narrate. Nikhil was supposed to go to Gurugram, but had to return home after he got to know the petrol pumps were shut.

Yatan Mittal, a corporate executive, missed an office meeting since he was not aware of the one-day strike.

"After three days of holiday, I went to a petrol pump to get my fuel tank refilled as I had to go to office in Chhatarpur from Mayur Vihar, but to my dismay, I could not find a fuel station that was open. I parked my motorcycle at a metro station, from where I boarded the metro. I reached office late by over an hour and could not attend an important meeting," he said.

Some drove all the way to Noida or Gurugram to get their fuel tanks refilled. 

Meanwhile, there was a barrage of posts on social media platforms, in which the users expressed their anger and dismay over the issue.

"Petrol prices hikes or strikes of petrol pump it's always common people who suffers. Politicians always play blamegame they doesn't care about other people. #Delhi #PetrolPump #petroldieselprice #Strike (sic)," one of them wrote on Twitter.

Another said, "No more #Petrol in Delhi now.. #petrol #pumps on strike.. Try to use #bicycle now.. #go #green #Delhi #chaka #jam #trouble #Strike."

All the 400 petrol pumps and linked CNG pumps shut operations from 6 am Monday and will remain closed till 5 am Tuesday, Delhi Petrol Dealers' Association (DPDA) president Nishcal Singhania said.

The DPDA said the Union government had, with effect from October 5, slashed the petrol and diesel prices by Rs 2.50 per litre by way of a cut in the excise duty and asking the State-owned oil firms to bear the subsidy. This was matched by several states by reducing VAT.

Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, which border the national capital, had reduced VAT, Singhania said, adding, "But the Delhi government refused to reduce VAT on petrol and diesel, resulting in fuel becoming more expensive than bordering Haryana and UP."