The Haryana Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has issued directives to all Deputy Commissioners and District Food and Supply Controllers to curb unusual sales of High-Speed Diesel (HSD) and Motor Spirit from petrol pumps, following reports of illegal diversion of diesel for commercial and industrial purposes. The price of industrial diesel has reached Rs 109 per litre.
Special Teams Formed in Hisar
Acting on the directions, the District Food and Supply Controller in Hisar has constituted four teams to monitor and prevent illegal storage and black marketing of petrol, diesel, and other essential commodities. The teams will cover the subdivisions of Hisar, Adampur, Uklana, and Barwala.
Government Concerns
In a letter issued on May 30, the department stated that unusually high volumes of HSD and Motor Spirit are being purchased directly from retail outlets across the state. Investigations revealed that bulk consumers, commercial establishments, and transport operators are bypassing the direct procurement channel from Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and extracting massive volumes from retail outlets.
Serious intelligence inputs indicate unauthorised movement of HSD and Motor Spirit in large, uncalibrated tankers across state lines, severely impacting state revenues and violating safety protocols.
Enforcement Measures
Deputy Commissioners in districts bordering Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh have been directed to launch special enforcement drives by deploying flying squads and strengthening nakas (checkpoints). Joint flying squads comprising officials from the Food and Supplies, Police, and Revenue and Taxation Departments have been constituted.
Background
The state authorities acted after reports emerged that large quantities of diesel and petrol were being purchased directly from retail outlets. Some bulk consumers, commercial establishments, and transport operators were allegedly bypassing the prescribed procurement system from OMCs, causing revenue losses and violating the Petroleum Act.
The central government had increased industrial diesel prices by Rs 15 per litre about two months ago, pushing the rate to Rs 109 per litre. Following the price hike, some industries started buying fuel from retail petrol pumps, where diesel is sold at around Rs 96 per litre.
