Petrol station owners in major cities like Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Guwahati have announced that they will work for only eight hours

Petrol pump owners across the country have toughened their protest against inadequate payment of commissions and have decided to work in shifts.

Petrol stations owners in New Delhi have said that they will work in shift from 9 am to 5 pm, reported IBNLive. The pump owners say the move will help them save on manpower costs.

Earlier in the day officials had said petrol dealers across Maharashtra, including Mumbai, will work in ‘single shifts', affecting lakhs of fuel-starved vehicle owners. But now, the discord seems to have spread across the country with petrol station owners in major cities like Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Guwahati announcing that they will work only for eight hours.

Times of India reported that all petrol pumps in Lucknow will close their operations between 4 am and 12 pm daily from 15 October. Ranjeet Kumar, president of Lucknow Petrol Dealer Association said, "We want that the oil companies and the government should implement recommendations of Apurva Chandra Committee report on dealership margins."

This single shift schedule will affect thousands of motorists, though some petrol station owners have said that they will try their best to tackle the situation. A Deccan Herald report said almost all fuel stations in Bangalore will operate with their full complement of staff to cope with the anticipated extra demand.