Fuel prices hiked again; petrol pump owners to sit for demonstration

Kolkata: Petrol pump owners are going to stage a sit-in-demonstration at Gandhi Statue on Mayo Road on July 4 protesting against the abnormal hike in the prices of petrol and diesel that has again gone up in Bengal on Tuesday.

Prices of both petrol and diesel in Bengal have gone up by 26 paise a litre on Tuesday taking its prices to Rs 97.38 a litre and Rs 91.08 a litre respectively. This is the first time when the diesel price in the state has set a new record by crossing Rs 91 mark.

Besides staging a demonstration at Gandhi Statue protesting against the hike in fuel prices that is also leading to their losses, all petrol pumps in Bengal will remain closed for half an hour from 7 pm to 7.30 pm on the day petrol price would touch Rs 100 a litre. "All 2200 petrol pumps will remain closed for half an hour as a mark of protest if the petrol price touches Rs 100 a litre. We do not want to cause inconvenience to people at this time of pandemic. So it will be just for half an hour," said Prasenjit Sen, Joint Secretary of West Bengal Petroleum Dealers Association.

The agitation at Gandhi Statue will be from 12 noon. If the restrictions get relaxed on July 1 then at least owners of 250 petrol pumps will be staging demonstrations or else there will be around 50 pump owners.

The petrol pump owners will also demand a hike in their commission that remained the same for the past 4 years.