CNG dealers have decided to observe a three-day closure from December 28 to protest against the oil industry's 'unjustified move' to deduct their commission by Rs 20 per Kg. A statement by Petrol Dealers' Association today said that the dealers at a meeting here on December 12 decided to launch the agitation following the oil industry's move to unilaterally slash their commission from Rs 73 per kg, as fixed by the Petroleum Ministry, to Rs 53 per kg. The release said the oil industry had constituted a review committee to assess the expenses of running a CNG station in Mumbai after the last agitation. The committee comprising oil industry officials, association's nominee and officers from Mahanagr Gas, had found that the expenditure incurred for running a CNG station was Rs 89 paise per kg, which had exceeded the income by way of CNG margins. We were hoping that the oil industry would take cognisance of this report and not only restore the original margin set by the ministry, but also to enhance the margins to a workable levels keeping the report as the basis of computation of margins, said Petrol Dealers Association President Ravi Shinde. The release said the report by the review committee had observed that the oil industry had no powers to increase the margins. We are at loss to know why and who had authorised the reduction of the existing commission as set by government of India, he wondered. Under the given circumstances, the CNG dealers were left with no alternative but to protest, he added regretting the inconvenience caused to the CNG users such as taxi owners and autorickshaw owners due to their closure.
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