KOCHI: It has been proven time and again that life without fossil fuel is impossible. At a time when almost all the sectors are feeling the pinch of demonetisation, the sale of petroleum products has been more or less steady in the state.
Initially, there was a near-30-per cent increase in fuel sales, despite the cash crunch and financial slowdown, as fuel outlets served as an ideal means for the public to spend the demonetised currency notes.
Speaking to Express, Federation of All-India Petroleum Traders (FAIPT) national vice-president R Sabarinath said the sale of petrol and diesel went up by about 25-30 per cent in the first two weeks of demonetisation. “After an initial upward trend, sale has returned to normal. At no point of time, the sale of petrol and diesel went down and languished below the average volume,” he said.
According to him, there are around 2,468 fuel outlets in the State. The average daily sale at fuel outlets functioning in towns is about 8,000 litre - 3,000 litre petrol and 5,000 litre diesel. All-Kerala Federation of Petroleum Traders president Thomas Vaidyan said even if half of the fuel outlets in Kerala are closed down, customers would not experience any shortage as the State has sufficient number of fuel outlets.
In Kerala, the consumption of petrol and diesel is about one crore litre per day, of which 60 per cent is diesel. Over the past few weeks, there has been an increase in the number of customers using credit/debit cards at fuel stations.
But, some are dissuaded by the fear of being levied service charge on card transactions. Though service charge is not applicable to card transactions mode at fuel outlets, there were complaints of customers being charged service charge. Use of physical currency at fuel stations could be brought down considerably, once there is sufficient clarity on the issue,” said Sabarinath.