PESHAWAR: Petrol pump owners and dealers have resented the imposition of heavy fines, sealing of petrol pumps, and torture of staffs due to violation of district administration orders regarding the ban on the sale of petrol to bikers without a helmet in the provincial metropolis.
The issues were raised during a meeting of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) standing committee on petroleum, chaired by the SCCI President Engineer Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz here on Tuesday.
The meeting was attended by the Committee Chairman Mansoor Sharif, Senior Vice Chairman Muhammad Ibrahim, Vice Chairman Hafeezullah Marwat, Vice Chairman Abdul Jalil Jan Afridi, and other members, including Haji Altaf Khan, Majid, Khalil Naeem Khan, Adnan Anwar, Farooq Wajid, Hamid Shah, Ashfaq, Rizwan, and Tariq.
The meeting said that the decision of district authorities to ban the sale of petrol to bikers without a helmet was unacceptable to them because it was tantamount to ‘business-hostility’, creating mistrust with the government and hurting businesses.
It is the responsibility of traffic police, excise and other relevant subordinate departments to implement road safety rules, but the duty has shifted from government officials to the business community which was unacceptable to them, the meeting added.
The meeting also condemned the increasing incidents of robbery and dacoits at petrol pumps and demanded that the steps should be taken for the provision of security.
The participants called upon the provincial government to take notice of misbehaviour of district administration officials with the pumps managers and staff. They said the checking/testing quality of petrol should be only done from the provincial labour department instead of multiple authorities.
The speakers also expressed concern over checking of cleanliness by the district administration at petrol pumps. They asked that the quality checking of petrol should be carried out in presence of labour department and district administration officials. They said the traffic rules should be implemented through departments concerned instead of asking petrol pumps to enforce the traffic laws.
The meeting unanimously decided the reconstitution and revival of petrol pumps owners association.
