March 30, 2024: The 48-hours petrol pump strike planned by the Northeast India Petroleum Dealers’ Association (NEIPDA) which was scheduled to begin on Saturday (March 30) has been postponed.

The announcement came hours after the state government brought petroleum dealers and retailers under the Essential Services Maintenance (Assam) Act or ESMA, which prohibits strikes.

Earlier, the association declared that the strike was planned in response to the stagnant commission rates since 2017 and other grievances regarding the rights of the dealers. The association also claimed that the oil companies have not responded to their previous communications.

According to the notification issued on Thursday, the association held a general meeting in its office at Uzanbazar in Guwahati, wherein it was unanimously decided that the association would resort to a 'Protest Closure of No Purchase No Sale' from 5:00 AM on 30/03/2024 to 5:00 AM on 01/04/2024.