India will ask private fuel retailers to end sales rationing

NEW DELHI: India will ask private fuel retailers to stop rationing sales, Oil Secretary Neeraj Mittal said on Thursday.

"Nobody is allowed to cap fuel sales. We will tell them it is not acceptable," Mittal said.

Mittal said the government had previously issued instructions to retailers on the matter and that its position remained unchanged.


Indian private refiners Reliance Industries and Nayara Energy have restricted diesel and gasoline sales at their service stations to limit losses from selling the fuels at below-market rates.

India has not revised retail diesel and gasoline prices since May despite rising oil prices.

State-run fuel retailers are losing about 50 rupees per litre on diesel sales, company officials said.