The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will resume the process of appointing petrol bunk dealers and LPG distributors in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as litigation decks have been cleared, according to its Executive Director, U.V. Mannur.
In an exclusive interview to the Hindu on Saturday, he said that the process of appointing new dealers that began in 2013-14 got delayed due to litigation. The Supreme Court had given green signal to resume the selection of retail outlet dealers and LPG distributors. Hence, the IOC would resume the process based on Supreme Court directions.
As per the plan, it would appoint 50 retail dealers and 45 Kisan Sangh Kendra (KSK) in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. With this, the number of IOC outlets would go up to 2176 from 2081. Similarly, the process of appointing 100 more LPG dealers would be taken up simultaneously. The IOC would ensure total transparency in the process. It would ensure uninterrupted supply of petrol and diesel to the customers in different areas of the State.
When his attention was drawn to the instances of different tactics followed by the existing LPG distributors in some areas to avoid the entry of fresh distributors in the market, Mr. Mannur said the IOC had put in place a transparent system. It had introduced several policy decisions to appoint dealers in accordance with the customer base and future requirement. It would take steps based on fulfilling the aspirations of customers. To support the LPG requirements in rural areas, the IOC would appoint more Rajiv Gandhi Gramin LPG Vitaran.
He said the IOC continued to be the market leader in Tamil Nadu. It had sold 80 million tonne of fuel in 2015-16. The share of Tamil Nadu was more than six million tonne. In terms of volume of sale of various products of Indian Oil, the Tamil Nadu share was 49 percent as against the national average of 45 percent. It was remarkable. It had contributed about Rs.5,200 crore every year to the State exchequer.
Stating that the State had been in the forefront in LPG penetration, Mr. Mannur said that the rate of LPG penetration was at 94 percent. Only a very few States had achieved this level. Many cities and towns had achieved 100 percent penetration. Just a few areas of down south in the State were lagging behind. They would bridge the gap soon. It was mainly because of buying power of the people of the State.
