As the number of COVID-19 positive patients is growing at a rapid pace, the petrol pump owners in the city have decided to reduce the timing of their outlets. They will keep the outlets open only for 12 hours in a day. The Vidarbha Petroleum Dealers’ Association (VPDA) announced that all petrol pumps in city will remain open only from 7 am to 7 pm. In the normal course, the petroleum pumps would remain open from 7 am to 10 pm while quite a few would remain open 24x7.

 

However, the changed timings will not be applicable for the outlets located outside the city limits. Amit Gupta, President of VPDA, said, the decision has been taken to safeguard the staff working at the outlets as well as the consumers. “Many of our staff members have been tested positive for COVID-19. Apart from this, deaths of the staff members and drivers of the petrol tanker were also reported in recent past,” he said. It is important to note that the sale of petroleum products has dropped by about 65 per cent since the Government imposed restrictions.