Kohima administration orders fuel depots to get in line

Dimapur, Oct. 30 (EMN): The district administration of Kohima has ordered fuel establishments in the capital to ensure proper retail procedures and dealings besides providing a number of facilities for customers in their establishments. Updates from the government bulletin DIPR on Tuesday stated that officials from the district administration, police, and Food and Civil Supply, Legal Metrology and Consumer Protection inspected fuel retail establishments, during Oct. 10-11. 13 fuel retail outlets in Kohima were inspected for fuel quality, quantity and availability of basic amenities, the DIPR stated. The administration has directed all the fuel dealers to immediately put in place a number of measures for ‘efficient, clean and proper customer service.’ The ‘measures’ include ensuring by all dealers correct quality and quantity of fuel; set up separate toilets for gents and ladies and with proper signage; construct proper septic tanks and soak pits, and ensure human waste does not flow out into public drains; keep washrooms and bathrooms clean at all times; install clean drinking water, preferably through a permanent RO filter system; provide and prominently display and place near the counter first-aid box containing necessary valid medicinal aids; ensure free air-refilling is available during working hours; Further, the administration has directed that the dealers should prominently display on a board the price of ‘MS’ and ‘HSD’ every morning and the morning opening density of fuel at the rate of 15 degree Celsius before starting sale. The dealers are directed to keep filter paper ‘Whatman 2’ to check the quality of ‘MS,’ the DIPR stated. “The filter paper should be made available to customers on demand,” it explained. The dealers should also keep a standard 5 litre measure duly verified by the LMCP for exclusive use of pump testing at the retail outlets; and the ‘zero’ setting should be shown to the customers before each delivery by the pump attendant. Further, a suggestion or complaint book must be maintained and made readily available to customers on demand, the updates stated. Likewise, the dealer are required to prominently display the names and telephone numbers of the oil company’s personnel who are to be contacted by the customer in case of complaints; ensure that the outlet is kept adequately illuminated and clean according to housekeeping standards stipulated by the oil companies. All required facilities should be adequate, the DIPR stated. “Safety equipments at retail outlet should be provided as per the statutory requirements and maintained in good working conditions. All amenities and facilities as stated above should be made available on or before 20th November 2018. Non-compliance or irregularity if found, in any of the retail outlets after expiry of the above deadline would invite initiation of prescribed action under relevant guidelines laid under public sector marketing companies which may even lead to closure or cancellation of license etc.,” the updates added.