ONGOLE: The Agricultural Marketing department is making plans to earn revenue by setting up oil filling stations on the premises of the Agricultural Market Yards across the state. As many as 138 petrol filling stations are planned in the market yards across the State.
The officials are going to take over the maintenance of these proposed filling stations on their own just like the Prisons department, which is running a few filling stations near the prisons of the state to get income. The first such petrol filling station is likely to come up in Prakasam district with the officials identifying at least 13 market yards for setting up filling stations.
For this purpose, the District Agricultural marketing department has identified 13 market yards and sent proposals to the government for approval. “After our proposals, the higher authorities are also thinking about establishing fuel filling stations in 13 districts. As per our primary estimations, we will earn around `35-40 lakh income per month through these proposed petrol bunks. As we have the required number of staff on outsourcing basis, there will not be much expenditure for the establishment of these filling stations from our side,” KVN Upendra Kumar, Assistant Director of the District Agriculture Marketing wing, told TNIE.
The locations identified for setting up the filling stations are under the limits of Ongole, Kandukur, Singarayakonda, Yedugundlapadu, Kondepi, Kanigiri, Podili, Darsi, Yerragondapalem, Addanki, Giddalur, Markapur and Chirala Agriculture market yards/ Sub market yards. Among them, the proposals of establishing filling stations in Ongole, Yedugundlapadu, Singarayakonda, Kondepi, and Kandukur were almost finalised and the remaining will also get approval soon.
Already teams of the fuel supplying companies Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPC) have visited these locations and given their consent. Immediately after the approval of the government, the department will sign lease agreements with these companies. The authorities are expecting approval orders very soon and the proposed filling stations may be functional by December or beginning of the next year.