HYDERABAD: With traffic being at pre-pandemic levels in the city, the fuel market has made a record in sales as it is almost 20 per cent higher than its previous best in 2019. According to Telangana Petroleum Dealers Association (TPDA), on average, there is a sale of 3,000KL of fuel from Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal Malkajgiri on a daily basis. Before the pandemic, when the sales were at their peak, 2,500KL of fuel was being sold every day, cumulatively, in these regions.
There are around 3,000 fuel outlets in Telangana including 500 fuel outlets of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Essar, Reliance and Shell within the city limits.
“Both sales and the number of outlets have increased. We expect the sales to go up in the coming days as more vehicles are plying on roads on a daily basis,” said Vinay Kumar, TPDA founder and general secretary.
At present, the price of one litre of petrol is Rs 109.69 per litre and diesel is priced around Rs 97.82, per litre. Since last May, fuel prices have not changed much. On May 21, 2022, a litre of petrol cost Rs 119.49, the highest so far. Domestic diesel prices fluctuate based on the price of crude oil in the international market.
Commission hike demanded
On the other hand, dealers complain that despite the rise in fuel sales and increase in the number of fuel outlets, their commission has remained the same. They receive a commission of Rs 3.42 per litre of petrol and Rs 2.18 for one litre of diesel.
“Dealers are not happy with their commission. As per the ongoing trend, the commission should be increased by one rupee per litre. Those who are running fuel outlets in rural areas are hardly making a profit of Rs 20,000 per month,” said Rajeev Amaram, Joint Secretary, Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers.