More than 70,000 petrol pump dealers, under Confederation of Indian Petroleum Dealers, across India have threatened to limit their working hours from October 15 to 8 hours per day, in case their demand for higher dealer commission is not fulfilled by the oil companies, said the media reports.

"About 70,000 petrol pumps across 18 states and over 3,600 in Tamil Nadu would work on single shift basis -- eight hours a day from October 15 onwards if our demands are not met, in order to cut down our cost on salaries and electricity charges," Tamil Nadu Petroleum Dealers Association, Secretary, M Haider Ali told media.

In addition, the dealers would not purchase high speed diesel and motor spirit from oil companies on October 1 & 2 in order to stress their demands. This decision is likely to impose the government with huge losses as the dealers pay 33 per cent taxes on diesel and 49 per cent on motor spirits to central and state governments, the report stated.

The confederation wants the government to soon implement the recommendations given by the Apoorva Chandra Committee in the year 2010. The committee’s recommendations include raising the commission paid to petrol pump dealers as well as increasing minimum wage of employees working in petrol pumps, the report added.