For thousands of commuters in city, a visit to a petrol pump is a daily necessity. However, a significant gap exists between the services citizens are entitled to and the reality on the ground. Most motorists remain unaware that every retail outlet is legally mandated to provide specific essential services free of cost, leading many to pay for facilities that should be accessible to all. Even more concerning is the emergence of predatory practices where certain operators have shifted focus from humanitarian duty to systematic profit-making through deceptive scams. Know your rights Under the Marketing Discipline Guidelines of Oil Marketing Companies, every petrol pump is required to maintain the following at no charge: Free Air: Functional air-filling stations for tires must be available and free to use. Clean Toilets: Accessible and hygienic washroom facilities must be provided for both men and women. First-Aid Kits: A fully stocked medical kit must be on-site for emergencies.

 

Safe Drinking Water: Potable water must be available for all visitors. Complaint Book: A register must be accessible for customers to record grievances. Unfortunately, the current state of these services across Nagpur is disheartening. While a few pumps maintain high standards, many either have non-functional equipment or deliberately charge for free services, such as demanding service fees’ for filling air. Washrooms are frequently kept in deplorable conditions or locked to discourage public use. Petrol pump owners and the employees must fulfill their duties with dedication, recognising that providing clean toilets and medical kits is a matter of basic public dignity and safety. Harvinder Bhatia, Ex-President VPDA ,shared his thoughts on such techniques “Today all pumps have installed advanced machines which has made scamming quite impossible.

 

With the automation system there is no scope for pump attendant to scam the commuter. As false information spread on internet and people blindly follow it, they should cross check and then should act upon it.” He shared an incident where a person came to expose the ‘Short Fill’ technique and ended up witnessing the numerical error by the vehicle company. “He came with the thought of exposing, he said to full the tank and he thought he caught us as in a tank of 5 litre capacity, attendant filled 7.5 litre petrol. Then I requested him to call for the authentic documents from the company and there was different between the capacity mentioned in the manual book and the document provided by the vehicular dealer. The document had 6.75 litre capacity written while the manual had 5. Due to scientific reason company have to keep space for the gas inside the tank otherwise it will end up exploding which is why vehicle can accommodate more litres than the company mentioned.

 

People need to understand this and should stay aware.” Citizens are encouraged to stop paying for air and to start demanding the maintenance of these mandatory facilities. Always verify the ‘Zero’ on the machine and monitor the refueling process closely. If a pump fails to comply, customers should lodge a formal complaint in the on-site register or through the official portals of the respective oil companies to ensure accountability.