Mumbai petrol pumps to operate from 7 am to 7 pm till March 31
The Petrol Dealers Association has said that fewer working hours will allow them to keep the essential service open while limiting their staff’s exposure to the public (Representational Image)
In a bid to limit exposure and mitigate the spread of coronavirus, petrol pumps in Mumbai will operate from 7 am to 7 pm from Monday till March 31.
On Sunday, petrol pumps across the city curtailed operations in response to the voluntary curfew call to the public by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Going forward from Monday, all outlets will switch to a 12-hour workday.
“We will operate our outlets from 7 am to 7 pm from Monday–a day after the Janata Curfew–till 31st March. The situation will be revised at the end of this month i.e till 31st March,” read the statement by Petrol Dealers Association.
The association has said that fewer working hours will help limit their staff’s exposure to the public and the virus.
“The curtailed time is an attempt to reduce risk of exposure to the pump attendants and yet keep the essential service open to public albeit in limited hours,” it said.
“No employees will lose their salaries for reduced working hours,” the statement added.
Over 200 fuel pumps across the city operate 20 hours a day and will shift to the newer schedule from tomorrow.
Earlier this week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had ordered the closure of all private offices and shops selling non-essential items in Mumbai, and the adjoining metropolitan areas, Pune, Nagpur, and other major cities till March 31 amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state.
