Bengaluru: All petrol pumps in eight States across the country which had announced a weekly ‘holiday’ from May 14 (today) and work on a single shift from May 15, called off their proposed agitation late yesterday evening, an official statement said in Mumbai.

The Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers (CIPD) was planning to launch the ‘Cost Cutting Module’ in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Haryana,  citing low margins.

On April 10, the CIPD, which claims to have 25,000 members, asked its members to shut shop on Sundays starting May 14, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to reduce fuel consumption.

“We have been called by the Government for a meeting in this regard on May 17 in Mumbai. Hence we have asked our retail outlets to stay open on Sunday,” A.D. Sathyanarayan, President, CIPD, said. The Association cited a Mann Ki Baat radio address, in which Modi said fuel consumption is a major area where people can contribute to “new India,” as a trigger for its decision.

He reiterated that the petrol pumps are currently operating on extremely low margins, selling high-tech unleaded petrol/diesel products in which the evaporation rate is very high leading to huge losses and other outstanding issues. Besides there are concerns like paying a certain amount of minimum salary to staffers at each petrol pump, which has become unaffordable owing to the low operating margins, he said.