Refuelling your vehicle in West Bengal may be tough today. Here's why

Around 3000 petrol pumps across West Bengal have joined a one-day strike on August 31, reports PTI. West Bengal Petroleum Dealers Association (WBPDA) called for a no-purchase-no-sale agitation on Tuesday.

The strike has been called to press for the organisation's two primary demands - stopping the supply of ethanol-blended petrol during monsoon and putting an end to the short supply of fuel to refuelling stations.

According to WBPDA Joint Secretary Prasenjit Sen, ethanol-blended petrol is highly hygroscopic. He said that during the monsoon, ethanol-blended petrol absorbs water from the atmosphere as rainwater goes into the underground tanks at refuelling stations.

"It causes huge problems for both dealers and consumers. This also causes mistrust between us and buyers," he further added.

He also said that the oil marketing companies should create awareness among consumers about this and restrict the supply of ethanol-blended petrol during monsoon.

The short supply of fuel to petrol pumps is another issue the fuel dealers have been facing. According to Snehasish Bhaumik, vice president of WBPDA, this has been a long-standing issue.

He said that a very large portion of the petrol pump owners' profitability goes into adjusting for the pilferage of fuel during transit. It can be as much as 1% of the amount of fuel loaded. He said that in a typical tank lorry carrying 12,000 litres of fuel, the amount is around ₹12,000.

Meanwhile, petrol and diesel price across India remain steady for the seventh consecutive day. Petrol price in the national capital on Tuesday is ₹101.49 per litre, while diesel price in Delhi is ₹89.92 per litre.

Global benchmark Brent has settled at $73.41 a barrel on Tuesday, up 71 cents or 0.98%. The US crude futures increased by 47 cents, or 0.68% to $69.21 a barrel on Tuesday.