KOCHI: The Ernakulam District Petroleum Dealers’ Association has withdrawn its decision to launch the ‘no-purchase movement’. However, the dealers will go ahead with the ‘dharna’, to be staged on November 17 in front of the regional offices of the Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum. The dharna will be inaugurated by Benny Behnan MLA. The members had criticised the oil companies’ decision to start 1,178 new petrol pumps, while owners of the existing 2,000 pumps are ‘struggling’. “Each pump has to sell at least 250 kilo litres of petrol/diesel in order to profit. But, 80 per cent of the pumps are able to sell only about 80-100 kilo litres. It is unscientific to start new pumps now,” said Association president E N L Menon.