Around 450 petrol pumps located across north Bengal will observe a daylong strike on February 15 to demand the immediate payment of fuel bills from the administration and police of all eight districts of the region, due since the 2023 panchayat polls.

“We have provided fuel (mostly diesel) to vehicles engaged for the transport of central paramilitary forces during the panchayat elections, based on the requisitions sent by the administration and the police of all eight districts, right from Malda to Cooch Behar. So far, we have not received our dues. That is why we decided to observe the strike,” said Shyamal Palchoudhury, the president of the North Bengal Petrol Dealers’ Association.

According to him, the total fuel dues in all these districts stand at Rs 19.33 crore.

“We wrote to the district magistrates and the superintendents of police, seeking payment of our dues in September last year. Again, in November, we gave a reminder to them. However, no money has reached us,” he added.

The petrol pump owners based in the region said seven out of every 10 pumps have dues left with either the administration or the police.

“They are not giving us anything in writing but some have hinted to us that the money has to come from the Centre. We are clueless as to when we will get our money,” said a pump owner.

Usually, during the elections, requisitions for fuel are sent to pumps from the district magistrate’s office or officers such as the SDOs and BDOs working under the DM. Similar requisitions are sent from the SP’s office.

“However, we have received money for fuel we supplied to the state police and other state departments during the panchayat elections,” the pump owner added.

The decision to observe the daylong has also led to repercussions in political circles. Chandrima Bhattacharya, the minister of state for finance, said that the onus was with the Centre.

“The central government should clear the dues as they have sent the forces. Why will the state have to take all responsibility?” she said.

Sukanta Majumdar, the state BJP president, however, opposed it. “The central forces were deployed as per the order of Calcutta High Court and the panchayat election was conducted by state election commission. It is the duty of the state election commission to collect the money from the state and pay petrol pump owners,” he said.

Pump owners in north Bengal have also made it clear that the administration and the police would have to pay around 75 per cent of the fuel bill in advance for Lok Sabha polls.

“If our existing fuel dues are not cleared and 75 per cent of upcoming Lok Sabha bills are not paid in advance, we will give a second thought to providing fuel for vehicles during Lok Sabha polls,” said Bikash Agarwal, general secretary of the association.

Association members also demanded that the dealers' commission be hiked. As of now, a pump gets around Rs 3 as commission for a litre of petrol and Rs 2 for a litre of diesel. “New petrol pumps are coming up every year and our costs are increasing. This is why we want an increase in our commission rates,” said Agarwal.