After UP, Delhi Govt orders crackdown on anti-consumer activities at petrol pumps

New Delhi: Days after it had cancelled holidays on the birth/death anniversaries of eminent personalities following the footsteps of Yogi Adityanath's government, in yet another move the Delhi Government today ordered crackdown on anti-consumer activities by petrol pumps.

The order of Delhi Food & Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Imran Hussain to prevent unlawful activities by unscrupulous petrol pump owners comes close on the heels after the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh launched a massive drive to check such activities while some petrol pumps were sealed.

The decision was taken after Mr Hussain reviewed the measures being taken over the issue in a meeting held here with the Secretary, Weights & Measures Department and other senior officers. In the meeting, the officers appraised the Minister that in order to prevent unauthorised activities of similar kind, the Department conducts surprise inspections of petrol pumps from time to time with the view to ensure that customers get accurate quantities of fuel.

They also informed that the Department ensures that it maintains specified calibrated measuring instruments and equipment for their availability on demand by the public for on-the spot checking of the accuracy of quantities of fuel being dispensed by petrol pumps. After listening to them, Mr Hussain has instructed the department to ensure that customers get due value of the cost paid on the commodities including fuels of various kinds. The Minister also emphasised about the need to ensure that citizens obtain accurate and unadulterated quantities of fuel purchased by them.

He has directed to constitute and dispatch teams in various parts of Delhi for ensuring that petrol pumps in Delhi are not indulging in unlawful installation of electronic chips in fuel dispensing units or any other similar means. The Minister has also asked the Department for taking a stern legal action against the defaulting units including lodging of FIR, sealing of petrol pumps, initiation of prosecution action etc as the case may be.

He also sought the cooperation and support of public for checking the menace of supplying lesser quantities of fuel by erring petrol pumps and accordingly appealed to the citizens to report about any such illegal activities which may come to their notice. (UNI)