The Petrol Dealers Association Pune held a meeting with Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissioner Vinoy Kumar Choubey and Additional Commissioner of Police Sarang Awad to discuss the growing security issues at fuel stations.
The association raised concerns over the increasing number of attacks on petrol pump employees, incidents of customers fleeing without paying, vehicles operating without number plates, and cyber fraud cases that have led to dealer accounts being frozen.
The police officials assured the association that patrolling around fuel stations would be intensified. They also assured strict action against vehicles without number plates and said stronger coordination will be set up with the cyber cell to ensure that business operations are not disrupted due to fraudulent online activities.
Dhruv Ruparel, President, Petrol Dealers Association, Pune, said, "The challenges related to law and order at fuel stations were no longer isolated cases but had become a significant threat to frontline workers and business stability. An action is needed to ensure that employees feel safe while carrying out their duties.
This comes days after the repeated incidents of attacks on petrol pump staff, particularly during wee hours. On Saturday, last week, an Indian Oil petrol pump attendant was thrashed by a few individuals in Pune's Bhairoba Nala. The video of the incident went viral on social media. A few days ago, another petrol pump attendant was beaten in the Yerawada area of the city.
Following life-threatening attacks, the Pune Petrol Dealers Association had asked for police protection or else cautioned that they would close the petrol pumps at 7 pm, citing safety of petrol pump staff.
