IOC said to be lagging behind rivals

According to statistics made available by a House panel on adulteration, as of February 1, market leader Indian Oil Corp. (IOC) has automated only 80 of its 1,928 petrol pumps that sell at least 200 kiloliters (kl) of products a month. Similar is the record of its subsidiary IBP Ltd., which has automated only 18 outlets out of 429 pumps that fall under this category of monthly sales. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL), on the other hand, has automated 400 of its 1,135 retail outlets in the 200 kl category. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) has automated 156 out of its 1,600 petrol pumps in this category. Indias oil ministry has been pushing for the automation of retail outlets and supply chain as one of the ways to check rampant fuel adulteration. (February 26, 2007)