Assam: Inoperative BPCL pump causes inconvenience to consumers

OUR CORRESPONDENT

DIGBOI: Concerns have been raised persistently by consumers in Assam’s Tinsukia district and nearby Changlang and Namsai districts of Arunachal Pradesh following the failures of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to resume its services here at Dispensing Pump-a retail outlet lying inoperative for nearly 20 days.

The Tingrai-based NRL petrol and diesel pump, now a division of the BPCL, has been lying non-functional causing untold sufferings and hardships to the customers allegedly following the termination of dealership agreement with Ranjita Dhanowar.

The Territorial Coordinator of BPCL Sahid Hussain failed to complete the takeover formalities on Saturday afternoon despite physical presence of both the parties at the outlet due to difference of opinions. The owner of the dealer Gautam Dhanowar refused to sign the documents while handing over the assets and meter readings to the corporation officials as the matter was reportedly sub-judicial.

“Iam pursuing the case at a higher court and moreover the report of the meteorological department is in my favour,” said Dhanowar, allowing the officials to observe the formalities without his signature.

Meanwhile, Hussain, who initially had to face local confrontation for failing to execute the corporation’s CSR initiatives so far in the Digboi area, said that the dealership agreement with the vendor was terminated based on the reports of the laboratory linked to ‘ tempering of the machine’.

According to him, after the dispensing machine was found tempered, the dealer was subsequently showcased and finally the licence cancelled and agreement terminated on April 12 as per the provisions of the corporation governing the specific clause. “We are now drawing means to handover the unit to a local vendor based on internal selection through interviews without going for re-tendering,” said the official.

Rubbishing the claims, Dhanowar said that several complaints were lodged with the corporation but no technician turned up to address the technical errors.

Meanwhile, several student organisations of Tinsukia district reached the site and demanded of the BPCL to ensure employment of locals and take up welfare projects under the CSR initiatives of the corporation before handing over to the new party.

Chandan Suri, President of an Adivasi student body, alleged that the corporation running the dispensing pump in Tingar has never contributed anything worthwhile so far to society. “These are only profit-oriented organizations and always deviate from their socio-economic responsibilities,” alleged the Adivasi leader.

Dhurba Changmai, a Tai Ahom activist, said that a meeting with the BPCL management has been fixed wherein the local concerns would be raised in the best interest of the locality. Changmai resented the indifferent attitude of the corporation in restoring the services, citing it as ‘incompetent to resolve the deadlock immediately.’

Biplob Gogoi, Secretary of Veer Lachit Sena, strongly demanded of the corporation to immediately resume the needed service by allotting the pump to a local Tingrai-based businessman on Adhoc.

Sources informed that there are 12 retail outlets in Tinsukia district affiliated to BPCL. As many as 6 BPCL-managed petrol pumps in Assam are being operated on adhoc due to cases with similar nature.

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