Amid rising oil prices and affected supply, the Central Government has now imposed a 90-day ban on bulk purchase of diesel and petrol from petrol pumps. Due to this order, oil will not be purchased from petrol pumps for industrial, commercial or institutional use. The reason for this is that bulk diesel is available in Delhi for Rs 134.50 whereas common customers are getting it for Rs 95.20. In the past days, it has been seen that efforts are being made to save money by purchasing diesel in large quantities from petrol pumps. Due to this, now the maximum limit of high speed diesel has been fixed at 200 liters in a day. Oil companies and petrol pump operators have been instructed to strictly follow these rules.
In the month of May, it was seen that the sales of commercial oil decreased while the sales from petrol pumps started increasing. Complaints were coming from many states. In the order issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, it has been said that the complaining states had also sought intervention in this matter. Now, after the government’s order, any person will be able to take only that much diesel from the petrol pump that can fit in the tank of that vehicle. Apart from this, only a maximum of 200 liters of diesel can be taken in a day in the containers which have been approved by the Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organization (PESO).
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It has also been clarified that diesel purchased in this way is for personal use only and cannot be resold. State governments and union territories have also been asked to take action against hoarding, black marketing and illegal supplies. It is clear from this order that if you were buying diesel from a petrol pump for commercial use, then you should be careful. Such people will now have to buy diesel costing only Rs 134.50.
How is the difference of Rs 40?
There is a difference of about Rs 40 between the price of diesel available to the common people and diesel available for commercial use. The reason for this is that instead of putting the burden on common customers, oil companies increased the prices of diesel for those buying bulk oil. Let us tell you that only those who run towers of telecom companies, run diesel engines or generators in companies or run diesel machines in factories buy diesel in bulk. Now for the last few days, it was seen that instead of paying extra Rs 40 per liter, these people were buying diesel cheaply from the petrol pump itself.
Due to this difference in prices, there was a change in the sales pattern and a part of the sales shifted from the private sector sales centers to the petrol pumps of the government oil companies. In May, state oil companies Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) saw a 4.8 percent increase in petrol sales and 6.4 percent increase in diesel sales.
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Why did such a decision have to be taken?
Keeping this in mind, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has issued an order on June 11 named ‘Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Temporary Regulation of Supply through Retail Outlets) Order, 2026’. According to this order, oil companies and petrol pump operators cannot sell oil in bulk for the next 90 days.
The government says that the reason for taking such a decision is the current global situation due to which certain areas of the world have been affected and the petroleum supply chain has been affected at the international level. The same notification states, ‘It has also been observed that there has been an abnormal increase in the sales of petrol and diesel sold at retail outlets i.e. petrol pumps. Due to the increase in oil prices, industrial customers are also buying oil from these petrol pumps.
According to the order, now diesel can be purchased for commercial use only from designated places.
Who will get diesel, how?
Under the rules, a maximum of 200 liters of diesel can now be supplied only in vehicle tanks or in tanks approved by PESO. Also, oil will be available only once a day for one person or one vehicle and this oil cannot be resold i.e. it will be given for personal use only. According to the government, this step has been taken to maintain the smooth availability of petrol and diesel.
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The government says that such bulk purchasing leads to shortage of oil at the local level and many important works are affected. That is why oil companies and other sellers have been asked to implement these rules. State and Union Territory governments have been asked to take strict steps to stop black marketing, hoarding and illegal purchasing. The existing rules will remain in force for 90 days and after that new rules will be issued.
It has also been said in the same order that if the government wishes, it can give exemption to any customer, class of customers, any area or any particular category of transaction through a special order. Besides, it has also been said that those who violate these rules will be punished under the Essential Commodity Act.
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