Petrol gets hotter, traders get angrier

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">NEW DELHI: Cancelling petrol pump allotments may have landed the government in yet another controversy. The Federation of All India Petroleum Traders, in its meeting in Delhi on Tuesday evening, decided to request the government to soften its decision to enforce a blanket cancellation on petrol pump allotments.</div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="37.2%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" middle="" background-color:=""> <div class="Normal"><a name="BM3"></a><span style="" color:="" ffffff="" font-weight:="" bold="">THE STORY SO FAR</span> </div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" middle="" background-color:="" white=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-family:="" times="" new="" roman="" class="small">• The media reports allotment of petrol pumps to ruling coalition functionaries.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" times="" new="" roman="" class="small">• The report disrupts proceedings in both Houses of Parliament.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" times="" new="" roman="" class="small">• PM cancels allotment of petrol pumps and LPG agencies made after January 2000.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" times="" new="" roman="" class="small">• Petroleum Minister Ram Naik rules out resignation.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" times="" new="" roman="" class="small">• Cong alleges the scam is worth 2,500 cr.</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-family:="" times="" new="" roman="" class="small">• Oppn disrupts proceedings in parliament again on Tuesday.</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">"We will meet the Prime Minister tomorrow and will request him to review the cancellation," Ashok Badhwar, president of the Federation of All India Petroleum Traders, said.<br />"If the government rejects our proposal, we will take a legal recourse". <br />Petroleum traders unions in Tuesday''s meeting criticised the cancellation of all allotments of petrol pumps, kerosene and gas agencies made after January 2000.<br />The federation office-bearers said that the decision of cancellation of 1,135 petrol pumps and gas agencies was arbitrary and confusing. They added that they had been receiving calls from all over the country, and many of the dealers did not even know who all would be affected. While supply of petrol to some of the dealers has been stopped with immediate effect by the petroleum companies, there is no news so far if any of the petrol pumps having been sealed.<br />Badhwar said, "Yesterday, the Prime Minister cancelled all allotments of petrol pumps, kerosene and gas agencies made after January, 2000. But does this also include the people who had received letters of intent (LoI) before January, 2000, but were allotted land or had become operational after this period?"<br />"The government''s order is not clear on this issue. Secondly, it is not clear what will happen to around 5,000 people, who have only received the LoIs post-January 2000, but has not been allotted land yet," he says.<br />Ramesh Kundan, a dealer in Mumbai and also the chairman of the legal affairs of the federation, said the Prime Minister''s decision had defeated the purpose of the selection boards. <br />"Instead of cancelling the allotments outright, the government should have waited and reviewed the decision of the selection committee or should have ordered a probe. By this arbitrary decision, it is the genuine people who are going to suffer the most. Just think of the people who have taken a loan for creating the petrol pump''s infrastructure," he said.<br />The government''s other decision to auction off all the cancelled agencies and pumps has also come under criticism. Dealers charged the government for defying "the very principle" of allotment of petrol pumps and gas agencies to the unemployed and the poor section of the society. <br />Kundan said that the decision was tantamount to "violation of the promissory". <br />Another service station owner from Delhi said that such forms of auctioneering would put the "poor" completely out of the loop. <br />"Since the government has allowed big players like Reliance, Essar, ONGC and Numaligarh to directly open petrol pumps, it will be increasingly difficult for the common man to get an allotment," Badhwar said. <br />"Even as I am speaking to you, my office is getting inundated with calls from worried dealers all over the country. The federation will definitely fight for its members'' cause. We only have to hire a new lawyer."<br />The federation''s legal interests used to be represented by former Law Minister Arun Jaitley. 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