Mysuru: Deputy Commissioner (DC) D. Randeep held a meeting with Petrol Bunk owners and officials of the three State-run oil companies — Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum (HP) and Bharat Petroleum (BP) — at his office here this morning.

The Bunk owners were led by Federation of Mysore Petroleum Traders (FMPT) President Shashikala Nagaraj and General Secretary Ranjith Hegde.

The Bunk owners apprised the DC about heavy fines being imposed on them in the name of Swachh Bharat and about the unscientific rules and guidelines by the three oil companies.

The Bunk owners told the DC that they were already suffering due to very less commission they were getting through sale of fuels and added that imposing penalties ranging from Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 2 lakh by telling them that the toilets at the bunks were not clean had put them into a lot of problems.

They also said that the oil companies were pressurising them to pay Central Wages (State Wages Rs. 7,500 and Central Wages Rs. 15,000) which was impossible due to very little commission they were getting and added that they had got a Stay Order over the implementation of Central Wages. They also demanded changes in Marketing Discipline Guideline rules.

Officials of the three oil companies told the DC that they were imposing fines following complaints from customers about unhygienic toilets.

DC Randeep asked the officials to respect the Court Order pertaining to the Stay Order given by it besides telling them not to impose heavy fines on Bunk owners but instead issue show-cause notice.

It may be recalled that the dealers had staged a day-long hunger strike in front of the DC office on Nov. 18 over unscientific rules and regulations and heavy fines being imposed on them.