Order on kerosene leakage loss stayed

CHENNAI: An order dated September 8 this year of the Food and Consumer Protection (C2) department, reducing the handling/leakage loss from one per cent to 0.25 per cent for supply of kerosene, has been stayed by the Madras High Court.Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar granted the injunction recently while passing interim orders on a writ petition from TN Kerosene Dealers Association, represented by its president A Kannabiran, challenging the GO.According to senior advocate K Doraisamy, the state government, by an order dated September 5, 1980 fixed the handling/leakage loss at one per cent of the cost of one kilolitre of kerosene, ie, company issue price. The dealers were incurring more than one per cent loss due to various factors. By the GO, even this one per cent loss was reduced to 0.25 per cent. This will adversely affect dealers, he contended.