Chandigarh: Punjab’s petrol pump dealers have warned that they will soon expose alleged cross-border fuel smuggling from Chandigarh that is squeezing their business, while also threatening to stop accepting UPI payments above ₹2,000 if a merchant discount rate (MDR) fee is imposed.Addressing a joint press conference, petroleum dealer association representatives from Punjab and Haryana—including Paramjit Singh Doaba, Monty Sehgal, Ashwinder Singh Mongia, and Sanjeev Chaudhary—stated that limited dealer margins, rising operating costs, and illegal fuel sales are placing financial pressure on operators. They announced plans for a national-level meeting in Delhi immediately after Diwali to decide on a protest and potential nationwide shutdown if talks with the govt fail.Mohali association president Ashwinder Singh Mongia alleged that fuel transported from Chandigarh is being illegally sold in neighbouring parts of Punjab and Haryana, citing a local pump whose sales surged 300 times in a year as direct evidence. Dealers warned this practice causes major tax revenue losses and demanded a thorough investigation across state boundaries.Haryana association president Sanjeev Chaudhary criticised public sector oil marketing companies for failing to revise dealer margins every six months as agreed upon in a 2016 Mumbai pact, despite surging expenses for staff salaries, electricity, maintenance, and free customer amenities. The dealers calculated that a ₹2,000 UPI charge of ₹5 per transaction equates to the diesel margin on 200 litres daily.Sales officials’ conduct and grievance redressalThe associations also raised concerns regarding the high-handedness of certain oil company sales officials, demanding a formal coordination mechanism and a grievance redressal committee comprising officials and dealer representatives to handle supply, equipment, and margin issues.
