HPCL fined for running illegal petrol pumps

Vadodara, Jun 16: A Vadodara fast-track court has directed the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) to pay a penalty of Rs 6.29 lakh to the district authorities for running three petrol pumps in the city without valid license.

The single-bench judge V D Kapadia while upholding district collector Rajiv Topno's recent decision to seal the three filling stations and impose the penalty on the company for violation of the rules, ordered that HPCL should pay the penalty or furnish a bank guarantee of the same amount within five days.

The court issued the order yesterday on a petition filed by the HPCL challenging April 27 order of the district collector, who sealed the three HPCL-managed petrol pumps and imposed a fine of Rs 6.29 lakh for allegedly running the petrol pumps for last three years without obtaining any license from the district supply office.

Following the district authority's action, the company recently moved the court praying for a stay on the collector's order.

UNI