54,000 petrol pumps across India to remain shut on October 13

Agencies

October 9, 2017

New Delhi, Oct 9: Around 54,000 petrol pumps all over India will go on a day long strike on October 13 in support of their long-pending demands, a petrol pump operators association official said here on Saturday.

Federation Of Maharashtra Petrol Dealers Association (Fampeda) President Uday Lodh said that a decision on the issue was taken at the first joint meeting of United Petroleum Front, an umbrella organization of three nationwide organisations of all petrol dealers.

The demands include implementation of the pending agreement signed with oil marketing companies on November 4, 2016, scrapping unfair penalties imposed under Marketing Discipline Guidelines, and approved but not given dealer margins.

Besides, the UPF has expressed concern over the losses to both consumers and dealers over the daily changing prices of oil products and bringing petroleum products under GST, said Lodh.

"As the first step, we shall stop buying and selling petrol/diesel at all the 54,000 pumps in the country on October 13. If our demands are not accepted, then from October 27, we will launch an indefinite nationwide strike," Lodh said.

Meanwhile, a petrol dealer said that the decision to combine the three top dealers` association under an umbrella organisation UPF would result in better coordination and uniform action to fight for their common demands with the OMCs.

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Campus politics: DKS pushes to restore student elections in Karnataka banned since 1989

News Network

November 26,2025

Bengaluru, Nov 26: Karnataka is taking its first concrete steps towards lifting a three-decade-old ban on student elections in colleges and universities. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced Wednesday that the state government will form a small committee to study the reintroduction of campus polls, a practice halted in 1989 following incidents of violence.

Speaking at a 'Constitution Day' event organised by the Karnataka Congress, Mr. Shivakumar underscored the move's aim: nurturing new political leadership from the grassroots.

"Recently, (Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi wrote a letter to me and Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) asking us to think about restarting student elections," Shivakumar stated. "I'm announcing today that we'll form a small committee and seek a report on this."

Student elections were banned in Karnataka in 1989, largely due to concerns over violence and the infiltration of political party affiliates into campus life. The ban effectively extinguished vibrant student bodies and the pipeline of young leaders they often produced.

Mr. Shivakumar, who also serves as the Karnataka Congress president, said that former student leaders will be consulted to "study the pros and cons" of the re-introduction.

Acknowledging the history of the ban, he added, "There were many criminal activities taking place back then. We’ll see how we can conduct (student) elections by regulating such criminal activities."

The Deputy CM reminisced about his own journey, which began on campus. He recalled his political activism at Sri Jagadguru Renukacharya College leading to his first Assembly ticket in 1985 at the age of 23. "That's how student leadership was at the time. Such leadership has gone today. College elections have stopped," he lamented, adding that for many, college elections were "like a big movement" where leaders were forged.

The move, driven by the Congress high command's push to cultivate young talent, will face scrutiny from academics and university authorities who have, in the past, expressed concern that the return of polls could disrupt the peaceful academic environment and turn campuses into political battlegrounds.

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