Garhwal Post Bureau
Rudrapur (US Nagar), 1 Jul: Dozens of vehicles allegedly broke down shortly after refuelling at a petrol pump in Rudrapur today which is the headquarters of district Udham Singh Nagar. The incident sparked widespread protests from consumers, who alleged that the petrol was adulterated with excessive ethanol or other liquids, causing their vehicles to malfunction. The district supply department has subsequently closed down the petrol pump and ordered an investigation into the matter.
According to eyewitnesses, several vehicle owners had refuelled at the petrol pump and had barely driven a short distance when their vehicles reportedly suddenly came to a halt. As the news spread, a large number of affected vehicle owners gathered at the petrol pump, demanding answers and protesting against the alleged adulteration of petrol. The protesters claimed that the petrol pump had been selling substandard fuel, which had damaged their vehicles.
During the protest, the petrol pump’s sales manager was forced to drain petrol from some of the affected vehicles, which revealed that the fuel had a different colour in each vehicle. This further enraged the consumers, who insisted that the petrol was adulterated. The petrol pump management, however, denied any wrongdoing, attributing the problem to the high ethanol content in the petrol. Nevertheless, they have reportedly refunded the full amount of petrol to the affected consumers.
The incident has however, raised serious questions about the quality of petrol being supplied in the region and the lack of effective monitoring mechanisms to prevent such incidents. Consumers have demanded a thorough investigation into the matter and action against those responsible. The district supply department has assured that a probe will be conducted, and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings.
District Supply Officer Vinod Tiwari confirmed that the petrol pump in question has been closed down, and that an investigation has been ordered into the allegations. He added that action will be taken based on the facts that emerge from the investigation. The consumers, meanwhile, are waiting for the outcome of the investigation and are demanding that the authorities take stringent action against those found guilty of adulterating petrol. The consumers have also demanded that the authorities ensure that petrol pumps adhere to strict quality standards to prevent any recurrence of such incidents. The petrol pump management has refunded money taken against sale of the petrol to the affected consumers, but the consumers have asserted that this is not enough and that a thorough investigation is necessary to identify the root cause of the problem.
