More than 6,300 petrol pumps in Rajasthan remained closed from 10 am to 6 pm on Wednesday as part of a strike called by operators against high Value Added Tax (VAT) on diesel and petrol.
The pumps will remain shut for the same duration tomorrow as well.
Rajendra Singh Bhati, state president of the Rajasthan Petroleum Dealers' Association - which called the strike - said the protest was against high VAT on fuel in the state.
"If the state government does not fulfil our demands of reducing VAT, a decision will be taken on Friday to go on an indefinite strike," he said.
Former state president of the association Sunit Bagai said VAT in Rajasthan is higher than neighbouring states like Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, and people in border areas go to these states to get fuel.
"Several petrol pumps in Hanumangarh and other bordering areas in Rajasthan have been shut in the last few years because of losses. People go to neighbouring states to buy petrol and diesel, causing losses to the petrol pumps in Rajasthan," he said.
It also causes revenue loss to the state government, he said.
The association has been raising the demand for a long time but there has been no response from the state government, Sunit Bagai said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
No Petrol Pump Strike In Jaipur Today Due To Board Exams Petrol Pumps In Rajasthan Begin Indefinite Strike Demanding Tax Reduction Petrol pump, gas agency owners threaten strike in Rajasthan Mamata Banerjee's Sunday Ultimatum To CBI For Death Penalty In Rape-Murder How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan "Prove With Pics Crime Scene Intact": Court To Bengal Over Hospital Vandalism Gujarat PGCET 2024 Revised Admission Schedule Released, Check Details Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra Join Call For Justice In Kolkata Rape Case Sexual Assault Attempt On Coimbatore House Surgeon Sparks Protest Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.