M A I N   N E W S

2 months, Rs 2.5 cr: Punjab fails to clear its fuel bill
Ruchika M Khanna/TNS

Chandigarh, August 25
For a state government ready to spend Rs 38 crore for a five-seater helicopter for the Chief Minister and his deputy, here is a payment reminder buried under “less-important” papers: a Rs 2.5- crore fuel bill of hundreds of vehicles used by officers of the Punjab Government.

Sources in the fuel retail business told The Tribune that despite repeated reminders, the Punjab Government owes fuel retail outlets almost Rs 2.5 crore for petrol and diesel purchased on credit by government vehicles for over two months.

Government vehicles get fuel from designated retail outlets against a credit slip that is signed by the officer for whose vehicle the fuel is required. The outlets then submit the credit slips and the state government releases the payment.

Punjab Petroleum Dealers Association president JP Khanna said retail outlet owners have supplied fuel worth lakhs, but their bills have not been cleared despite repeated reminders.

Whenever we have taken up the matter with a district administration, we are told that the Finance Department has not released funds, say petroleum outlet owners.

“Whenever the owner of a fuel retail outlet demands that his dues be cleared, government officers simply start buying fuel from another designated outlet. We have now decided that an outlet that does not regularly supply fuel to a particular government vehicle will do so only after the official produces a ‘no-dues certificate’ from the dealer he was earlier buying fuel from,” says Punjab Petroleum Dealers Association president JP Khanna.

Presently, officials of the Excise Department and district administration and police officials in district sub-divisions buy fuel on credit. Chandigarh Industrial Tourism Corporation (CITCO) had recently withdrawn credit facility to police vehicles for purchase of petrol and diesel from its outlets after the Punjab Police failed to clear bills in excess of Rs 60 lakh. CITCO had warned that it would stop supply to Punjab Government vehicles if bills were not cleared immediately, but the state government did not take action. A senior government official said the state had this month temporarily suspended release of most non-salary payments on account of additional liability. “We have made additional payment of Rs 1,300 crore as arrears to state government employees and released an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance this month. To maintain a proper balance in the state treasury, we put some non-salary payments on hold. These will be released in the coming week,” he said.

Long Wait

• Government vehicles get fuel from designated retail outlets against a credit slip signed by the officer for whose vehicle the fuel is required
• The outlets then submit the credit slips and the state government releases the payment
• No payment has been released for over two months now despite repeated reminders, say fuel retailers