Reliance 'hot petrol' angers dealers
Reliance stands accused of cheating its fuel retailers by filling tankers with 'hot petrol' which expands into a larger quantity than it actually is.
Over 85 dealers who own Reliance petrol station franchises are threatening Reliance with strike action from March 31 if this practice is not stopped. "We've repeatedly asked Reliance to fill petrol and diesel tankers at temperatures less than 30 degrees," the Gujarat Reliance Petrol Pump Dealers Association tells us.
"But Reliance isn't listening and fills our tankers with 39-degree petrol." Another Reliance fuel dealer says efforts to contact Reliance group president corporate affairs Parimal Nathwani on March 1 have come to nothing. When a 20,000-litre capacity tanker is filled with 'hot petrol' from the Reliance refinery loading bay the actual quantity is only about 19,800 to 19,850 litres.
Each rise in temperature by one degree results in a loss of 20 to 25 litres. Reliance dealers argue that petrol and diesel from rival Essar and IndianOil refineries is filled at 28 degrees.
"If Essar and IOC can do this why can't Reliance?" questions a dealer.