Caution! Fuel stations are cheating you
- Officials made surprise examination in fuel stations in Ernakulam district in the wee hours of Sunday and found discrepancies in dispensing fuel.
- Six units of two petrol pumps were asked to shut after the price metres were found manipulated.
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We have heard people complaining about fuel stations cheating customers on quantity. A surprise check by Legal Metrology Department the other day at Kochi found those complaints were not unfounded.
The department officials made surprise examination in fuel stations in Ernakulam district in the wee hours of Sunday and found discrepancies in dispensing fuel. Six units of two petrol pumps were asked to shut after the price metres were found manipulated.
The pumps closed down belonged to Indian Oil Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum.
The surprise raids were conducted after the department received complaints on malpractices in the fuel stations. There were complaints that the petrol pumps manipulate price metres after midnight. The department formed three squads and conducted the checking simultaneously in Kochi and surrounding areas.
The examination proved that the consumers were not getting the fuel for the amount paid by them in these stations. As per norms, a variation of 25 ml for 5litres is permissible. But the examination found that the consumers were getting a raw deal as the pumps dispense 40 ml to 100ml less per five litres.
Three years back, raids by Legal Metrology Department in Hyderabad had found that many of the fuel stations were using remotes with which the operator could change the price and speed of the delivery of the fuel.
