AURANGABAD: With the district administration giving a call for "no vaccine, no fuel' to increase the COVID-19 vaccination among people, the Petroleum Dealers Association (PDA) of Aurangabad has decided to curtail the timing of their petrol pumps from Thursday so that the night shift staff can be used during the day for this exercise.
The decision was taken in view of the shortage of manpower at petrol pumps, an office-bearer of the association said in a press release on Wednesday.
The district collector of Aurangabad had recently issued an order to the petrol dealers to check the vaccination certificates of the people visiting the pumps to fill fuel in vehicles.
As part of the exercise, no fuel will be given to the unvaccinated people starting November 25.
The PDA said that although it has decided to support this initiative, the timing of the outlets will be curtailed so that the entire manpower can be used during the day for this exercise.
"The petrol outlets in the district will supply fuel to customers from 8 am to 7 pm. This has been decided as the outlets will need additional manpower for checking the vaccination certificates," the PDA office-bearer said in the statement.
Talking to PTI, PDA secretary Aqeel Abbas said, "We shall deploy during the day the manpower that we earlier used late at night to handle the customers. The vehicles in emergency service can go to the company outlets to fill fuel, besides those pumps operated by the local governing bodies and the police department."