Fuel retailers to keep petrol pumps shut in Kolkata in protest against rising petrol, diesel prices

Fuel retailers in Kolkata will shut operations for 30 minutes on July 7, protesting against the steep jump in petrol and diesel prices that are nearing Rs 100, a trade body official said on Saturday.

The sharp spike in the prices has also led to a massive drop in the sale of fuel in the state, West Bengal Petroleum Dealers' Association joint secretary Prasenjit Sen said.

"The price of petrol will touch Rs 100 anytime in the city. To protest this steep jump, we will shut power in all the petrol pumps and observe 'no sale' between 7 pm and 7.30 pm on Wednesday," he said.

"Sale of petrol is down by 25-30 per cent despite a rise in the number of personal vehicles during the pandemic.

Sales should have grown but slipped due to the unprecedented rise in the prices. Diesel sales are down by over 50 per cent in the state," he said.

The fuel retailers are also planning to sit on dharna, seeking a hike in commission, Sen said.

"The commission remained fixed even as petrol price shot from Rs 70 to Rs 99. This has led to a jump in cost and overheads, while the income didn't rise, forcing small petrol pumps to shut operations," he said.

In several districts of the state, including Darjeeling, Murshidabad and Nadia, petrol prices have already crossed the Rs 100-mark.

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