India’s petrol pump count crosses 1 lakh, doubles in 10 years

NEW DELHI: India’s petrol pump network has crossed the 1,00,000-mark, doubling since 2015 as state-owned fuel retailers aggressively expanded outlets to defend market share and push fuel access deeper into rural and highway corridors amid a sustained boom in vehicle ownership. At the end of November, the country had 1,00,266 pumps — the third largest after the US and China with a much bigger geographical area, according to data available from the Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell of the Oil Ministry. Over 90 per cent of the pumps are owned by state-owned firms.