Eighty-six cases were booked against the fuel stations across the State for using dispensing pumps operated with remote fraudulently. As many as 519 nozzles were seized from these stations.
The cases were booked during a crackdown launched by the officials of Legal Metrology on Saturday and Sunday after coming to know that many fuel stations were using these pumps without the approval from the Director of Legal Metrology.
The fuel stations were using remote and indulging in automation without proper approval from the Central government.
Of the 86 cases, 13 cases were booked in Hyderabad, 11 in East Godavari, eight in Ranga Reddy and Anantapur districts, six in Nalgonda and Visakhapatnam, five in Warangal and West Godavari district, four in Vizianagaram and Guntur districts, three in Mahbubnagar, two in Vijayawada, Nizamabad, Srikakulam, Karimnagar, Medak and Adilabad districts and one in Khammam.
The cases were booked under Section 22 of the Legal Metrology Act, officials said.
Representatives of A.P. Federation of Petroleum Traders led by its president M. Prabhakar Reddy and general secretary Anwar Padela met the Legal Metrology Controller and Additional Director-General of Police S. Gopal Reddy assuring that the illegal dispensing pumps would be handed over to the department shortly.
“We agree with officials that the dispensing units are to be replaced with the approved models which have to be verified again.
We request the Controller to give time for replacing these units through oil companies in coordination with manufacturers,” Mr. Prabhakar Reddy said.
The Hyderabad district Collector took a series note of the sudden strike called by traders. “It’s a wrong behaviour. Fuel is an essential commodity in cities.
How can you call for a strike without giving prior information?” the Collector is said to have told traders when they met him.
‘Attempt to threaten officials’
A senior official from the department said the traders planned to threaten officials by suddenly calling for strike. But their attempts failed after receiving sharp criticism from all quarters.
“We are conducting raids at petrol pumps to ensure that consumers should not sustain losses by fraudulent methods adopted by a few fuel stations,” he added.
