Raids At All Petroleum Outlets
District Flying Squad Tahsildar V. Subramaniam (second right) listening to a dispute between a motorist and a petrol outlet staff over the non-supply of ordinary fuel in the city on Monday. Following complaints about non-availability of ordinary petrol and diesel at petroleum outlets and sale of only additives added premium fuel, the District Administration deputed a team of revenue officials along with officers from the Commercial Taxes Department and conducted checks at petroleum outlets across the district. According to sources in the administration, following instructions from the Government, the Collector, V. Palanikumar, formed special teams under the supervision of District Revenue Officer, S. Prabhakaran. In Coimbatore city, five special teams were pressed into service to carry out simultaneous raids at almost all petroleum outlets. The special teams were led by Revenue Divisional Officer, Coimbatore, Tahsildars - Flying Squad, Coimbatore South, Coimbatore North and District Adi-Dravidar Welfare Officer.
Similar raids were also conducted by RDOs and Tahsildars at Palladam, Tirupur, Avanashi, Pollachi, Valparai, Udumalpet and Mettuppalayam.In Coimbatore core city areas raids were conducted by V. Subramaniam, Flying Squad – Tahsildar and the raiding teams came across complaints of retail outlets having stock of ordinary petrol and diesel and still forcing people to buy additives added premium petrol/diesel. There were even cases of retail outlets not having stocks of ordinary fuel at all leaving the motorists with no other option but to buy premium fuel. Officials also came across instances of petroleum outlets not making an indent for ordinary fuel. The teams checked for verification of physical stock as well as the stock on register and sale records. There were complaints to the raiding teams by scores of motorists at several places in the city and outskirts.
There were complaints of even retail outlets resorting to mixing of ordinary fuel with premium and selling them at the rate of premium fuel rates. Premium petrol was costing a little more than Rs. 4 more than the ordinary fuel and premium diesel costing a little more than Rs. 2 than the ordinary diesel. All the teams are expected to send in their reports to the District Revenue Officer which in turn would be sent to the Collector. The administration is contemplating on initiating a series of actions in coordination with the petroleum corporations ranging right from suspension of licence or even cancellation of the licence depending on the gravity of the offence indulged in by the outlets.
