Auto drivers protest ‘faulty’ meters

Auto drivers protest ‘faulty’ meters
Deccan Herald

Around a hundred auto drivers protested in front of a Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) filling station near Shoolay Circle on Sunday against allegedly faulty meters installed at the filling station.....

Around a hundred auto drivers protested in front of a Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) filling station near Shoolay Circle on Sunday against allegedly faulty meters installed at the filling station. The auto drivers alleged that the meters moved faster than the filling.

The protest disrupted traffic movement for more than an hour near Shoolay Circle. A case has been registered by 15 auto drivers at the Ashoknagar police station. The police has asked the officials concerned to look into the allegation. The filling station was closed down for the day following the protest.

Sheikh, an auto driver, told Deccan Herald that he was filling 10 litres of petrol when he noticed that the meter jumped from two litres to six litres, and continued. “If the vehicle owner fails to notice the jump, he would leave with six litres of petrol, even after paying for ten litres,” he said. Manjunath, another auto driver, said the auto LPG meters at the station were faulty as well. “They always show excess reading, as compared to the capacity of the cylinder. How can a five-kg cylinder hold seven kg of gas? As per the meter readings here, you can fill 18 litres of petrol in a tank with a capacity of 15 litres,” he said. BPCL officials and the manager of the petrol filling station were not available for comment.