Centre asks OMCs to install high-security devices to check petrol and gas pilferage at retail outlets

The central government has asked oil marketing companies (OMC) to install high-security devices to check pilferage of petrol and gas at retail filling outlets. [caption id=“attachment_4027671” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters.[/caption] “We have taken up the manipulation (of devices) seriously. We are trying to ensure that people are not cheated. We have asked the oil marketing companies to take necessary measures to check any fraud. They will install high-security devices,” Paswan told reporter here. The existing security devices at gas and petrol stations vulnerable to be manipulated will be replaced with the new high-security devices. The ministry official held joint meetings with the Petroleum Ministry officials to come up with the new system to curb malpractices at gas and petrol outlets. A ministry official said that metrology departments of the states had trained five **OMCs** including BPCL and HPCL in tamper-proof electronic sealing and flow meter operations. Meanwhile, in another instance of **technological innovation** , Saahil Peerzada and Sachin Adhikari of Viztar Agritech have tied up with Spain-based Nice Fruits to offer new technology in cold storage plants in the Indian subcontinent, with the first two to become operational in Hyderabad in the next seven months. “The Black Box is a unique technology and is developed by scientists in Spain. It can be easily set up in any factory or plant. In normal cold storage, nitrogen is used. However, in ‘Black Box’ system, there will be neither nitrogen nor any preservative. The stored commodities will have their natural content, nutrition value intact for 1,000 days,” Peerzada told IANS. With inputs from IANS