Even as power cut and water cut has been thrust on the people of Pune this week, rationing of fuel has been creeping up on them quietly over the last few weeks. All petrol pumps in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad are rationing its daily allocation by closing down the pumps for around six-seven hours each day.

A quick round at various petrol pumps in the city and Pimpri-Chinchwad area have most of them saying that they are not comfortable with their stock position of fuel.

Says Seemadeep Narayan, owner of Shobhika Auto services petrol pump situated on Aundh Road, “The oil company has resorted to a quota system which is actually rationing of fuel. We are given fuel limits twice a month. The sales officers of the company decide how much fuel is to be supplied. This is why our petrol pump is shut for at least four-five hours every day.”

“Actually, the rationing of fuel has been on for two months .We are facing a fuel shortage of 70,000 litres each month. Our staff is working only for one shift as the company is supplying less fuel. We are in no position to retain our regular customers who want fuel without additives,” says Vishal Pimple, owner of Pimple Petroleum, situated on Mumbai-Pune highway in Pimpri.

“As against four lakh litres we are now selling only 1,75,000 litres of fuel a month for the past two months. I am not earning enough money to keep the pump going, “ says Prakash Balwadkar, owner of Balwadkar Auto services petrol pump situated on Bangalore highway near Hinjewadi.

In Pune city too the scene is no different. Says Manish Ladkat, partner of Ladkat Brothers petrol pump in Bhavani Peth: “The companies are rationing the petrol to us. We are getting 12 per cent less than our historicals. So we are closing early.”

Anis Somji, another dealer said that rationing of petrol is on for the last three weeks. “Though the company officers do not want to directly use the term rationing, they have decreased our supply. For the last two weeks we are getting 20 per cent less and so we are able to keep the petrol pump open only till afternoon for most of the days.”’

A dealer on Laxmi Road said that more than petrol, there was excessive diesel shortage as companies were using it for their generator sets. “Almost every alternate day we run dry for diesel. They are supposed to use furnace oil or light oil diesel but they have been using the diesel as it comes cheaper. This is further increasing the shortfall,” he said.

There is a 40 per cent fuel shortage in the city, points out Babasaheb Dhumal, president of Pune Petrol Dealers Association. Dhumal said the shortfall is only increasing and feared that it would turn to be more in the next month. “Last two weeks, the shortage has been increasing. Earlier, it was 15 per cent and presently it has touched 40 per cent,” he said.

Dhumal along with the other petrol dealers have sought a meeting with the district collector to raise the issue. “We are tired of the constant denial of the OMCs and want some concrete action taken to address this shortfall,” he said.