State Consumer Affairs dept to probe oil pilferage in petrol pumps

Kolkata: The State Consumer Affairs department will conduct a probe in connection with the oil pilferage in petrol pumps.

"There are 3,000 petrol pumps. We will start the probe soon. There is a smaller tank inside the tanker. The oil (petroleum) may sneak into it through some leakage in the tank," said Sadhan Pande, state minister of the Consumer Affairs Department and Self Help Group and Self Employment Department, after conducting a meeting with petroleum dealers on Monday.

The petroleum dealers claimed that petrol pumps in the state are getting less amount of fuel at the petrol pumps being released by the Central government. In every petrol pump, there is at least a loss in transit of 100 litres of petroleum. "We discussed all problems with Mr Pande. He has taken it into consideration. He also asked us to prepare a list of petrol whose tanks are more than 50-year-old and need immediate repair so that there is smooth in and out flow of fuel," said Arun Kumar Singhania, vice-president of West Bengal Petroleum Dealers Association.

The petrol dealers also pointed out that the amount of fuel is measured by flow meter at the time of when taker leaves for the source point.

But the fuel is not measured by the flow meter at the time of unloading at petrol pumps.

"We want that there should be a flow meter to measure the quantity of fuel at the petrol pumps," said Prosenjit Sen, a petroleum dealer.