Srinagar: When you purchase petrol or diesel you also pay for toilet and drinking water facilities at fuel pumps, as conditions for allotment of petrol pumps make provision of these facilities a compulsory practice, according to a report.
So, next time you go to a fuel station to fill empty tanks of your vehicles, make it sure that you don’t forget to check whether the pump owner is providing this facility or not. After all, you are paying for it.
The provision was incorporated for raising money for maintenance of toilets at fuel pumps, as revenue received through fuel sale is not enough and does not suffice to meet that ‘extra’ requirement, the report adds.
Majority of the petrol pumps in Jammu & Kashmir are running dry and violating the central and state government guidelines that are supposed to be provided to customers.
These petrol pumps are short of basic facilities like, Drinking water, Toilets, adequate fire safety measures and other necessary facilities.
Moreover at some of the petrol pumps, the air pressure gauges are defunct from last so many years.
As per the central government guidelines, it is mandatory for petrol pump owners to provide basic amenities like drinking water, separate toilets, free air pressure check up at the stations.
Every petrol pump should have also instruments for examining quality and quantity of the fuel available for consumers and should be equipped with 24 hour power back-up and adequate fire safety measures to deal with emergencies caused by the highly inflammable material.
But the profit-mongering pump owners are blatantly violating the guidelines across the State.
Kashmir Press Service tried to find the basic facilities in petrol pumps, but it was surprised to see that the majority of the petrol pumps are short of basic facilities and things were worst in those that are located on the outskirts including National highways of the Srinagar and other districts.
When this reporter visited some of the petrol pumps in Srinagar and Jammu Srinagar National Highway he found that aside from the absence of the toilet, drinking water and other facilities, there were no air pressure gauge and pumps. At some places, such instruments were found non- functional.
Though in some of the places, the air pressure gauge was installed and was found okay but the customers are turned away as the pumps have no employee to fill the wheels of the vehicles with air.
As per the norms filling free facilities should be available at every petrol pump free of cost.
Though at some places, toilet is located at the farthest corner or in the office of petrol pump owner, invisible for the customers.
Shabir Ahmad of Srinagar said that the services at petrol pumps here are very poor. “They do not provide even air. At some places, the instruments are either unavailable or non-functional. At others, they have no employee to fill our vehicles with the air,” he said.
Meanwhile the authorities said that Petrol pumps are already under scanner over blatant non-compliance of mandatory safety and security measures and provisioning of basic facilities for the customers.
“We are set to carry out an inspection of petrol pumps in the city and towns, along the highways and all the blocks in terms of provisioning of facilities like toilets, drinking water, free air pressure check, first aid, fire safety and overall security, among others,’ one of the top government officials said.
He said a team will be constituted to check and verify if the guidelines issued by the Central Government for establishment of petrol pumps and provisioning of facilities are followed or not.
The officer further added that once they will find non compliance of mandatory measures for the customers, same will be forward to the respective oil companies which have given licence to these petrol pumps.
The officer however said that if this does not work and petrol pumps continue to violate, government may have to take action against them.
It is to mention here that there are around 187 petrol pumps affiliated to IOCL in the State.
These petrol pumps are consuming lakhs of petrol and diesel per day, resulting in revenue worth crores of rupees.
However the IOCL officials said that the field officers are deployed periodically to check things, adding that all the petrol pump owners have been directed to install boards mentioning the direction concerning toilet, drinking water and other facilities.
The Union ministry of road transport and highways recently issued a circular in this regard to all chief secretaries of states, chief engineers and other officials of public works departments and all units of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
The ministry said that the unified guidelines for access permission to fuel stations had been issued in July 2013. It said it is mandatory in the licence deed agreement to have drinking water and toilet facilities at all fuel stations as per approved drawings and specifications, to the full satisfaction of the highway administration.
Meanwhile, a higher official told KPS that we will depute a team to petrol pumps and get the factual report and action will be taken accordingly.
Rights as consumers
- Free air to vehicle
- Drinking water
- First aid box in case of any injury
- Complaint box to register grievances
- Toilets
- Firefighting instruments.
- A display of fuel prices and working hours
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