Hyderabad: If one were to go by the new rules set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), there would be no new petrol pumps in the city, say petroleum dealers and petrol bunk owners.
The new rules say petrol pumps must be placed in locations which do not have a school, hospital or residential complex within a 50 metre radius.
As petroleum dealers point out, the city has close to 650 petrol pumps, and schools, hospitals and residential complexes have come up around them over time.
“It is very difficult to start a petrol pump in the city because of two reasons. One, there is a paucity of land and secondly the officials need to look at the demographics of the state,” Rajiv Amaram, joint secretary, Consortium of Indian Petroleum Dealers (CIPD), told Deccan Chronicle.
He added that in a state like Kerala, there are several petrol pumps on one main road, whereas in Telangana, the situation is that there are several schools or apartments on a single road.
“Under these circumstances it will be difficult to set up a single petrol pump. We have seen several private players setting up petrol pumps along the Uppal-Habsiguda road, but many have shut shop because they found no takers,” he said.
As per the new norms, ‘Retail outlets shall not be located within a radial distance of 50 meters from schools, hospitals (10 beds and above) and residential areas designated as per local laws. In case of constraints in providing 50 meters distance, the retail outlet shall implement additional safety measures as prescribed by PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation). In no case, the distance between new retail outlets from schools, hospitals and residential areas shall be less than 30 metres. No high tension line shall pass over the retail outlet.’
