Proposed petrol pumps get thumbs-down

TEAM HERALD

Plans by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) to set up petrol pumps along the Saligao Church road, the Porvorim Service road and between Porvorim and Mapusa junction on NH17 have been questioned by politicians and residents alike.

While Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar and Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte claim they are unaware of recent moves by HPCL to invite dealers to set up retail outlets, both have insisted that these additional petrol pumps are impractical and unfeasible.

In Saligao, the two petrol retail outlets, each run by Bharat Petroleum and India Oil Corporation, along the Saligao Church road are barely 150 metres from each other.

“I was not aware that HPCL proposes to appoint a dealer at Saligao. The existing two dealers are struggling to get business and if the third dealer enters the fray, there will be further competition,” Saligao MLA Dilip Parulekar told Herald.

“Further, there are fields alongside the church road and I don’t think anyone would venture to open a petrol dealership in the fields,” Parulekar added.

When contacted, Porvorim MLA Rohan Khaunte also admitted that he had been clueless about the proposed petrol pump along the Porvorim Service road.

“I am not aware about this plan. In the first place, there is no vacant space along the Porvorim Service road to set up a petrol pump. The petroleum company must have decided to set up petroleum pump much before work on the service road could commence.”

“Also, the land belongs to the communidade and there are three educational institutions, Sanjay School, Dona Memorial High School and District Institute of Education and Training, located along the Service road. If someone decides to set up a petrol pump, there is a likelihood that public could raise objections to the project,” cautioned Khaunte.

Porvorim-based social activist, Juino D’Souza, said petrol pump along the Porvorim Service road is not a commercially viable project.

“The Service road is cut off from the main road with a barrier wall all through. The petrol pumps should be located by the side of the roads for easy accessibility. A petrol pump may come up in the open space opposite Jivottam Mutt so that vehicles from both the sides of the road can get access to the refueling station,” said D’Souza.

“As far as the petrol pump between Porvorim and Mapusa junction is concerned, there are fields on both sides of the road between Alto Porvorim and the Guirim junction. Hence, the possibility of setting up a petrol pump in the fields is remote. There is an HP dealer selling only diesel near the Socorro-Sangolda junction. That dealer may be permitted to sell petrol as well,” added D’Souza.