Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 26(BPNS)
The Kerala Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe petroleum pump owners association has decided to stage a one day token hunger strike before the Hindusthan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) office on May 15, 2023.
This is in protest to the termination of petroleum dealership of SC/ST people under the Hindusthan Petroleum Corporation. President of the association, C.K. Mohini in a statement said that the HPCL did not comply with the procedure of conducting personal hearing before cancelling the dealership of SC/ST people.
He said that various judgments of the Supreme Court that state that the dealers have to be heard before terminating the dealership was never followed by the HPCL.
Mohini said that he and several others had submitted several representations to the higher officials of the HPCL to cancel the termination order but was never listened to. He said that the SC/ST dealers association have now represented to the President of India and the Hon Prime Minister of India.
The petroleum dealers association president said that many of the dealers have lost their homes, and are in huge debts and on the verge of suicide. He said that several senior officers of the petroleum company were directly involved in terminating the dealership and it was mainly due to the fact that the dealers belong to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities.
He said that the dealers have submitted a letter to the Chairman of the HPCL and requested him to reinstate the dealership or will conduct indefinite protest in front of the petroleum company.
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