Petrol pump toilet rules in India under MDG 2024

Short answer

Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024) makes a clean toilet a daily duty: clean, lit, with water, a working flush where one is fitted, a working latch, signs, a “Darpan” QR code for feedback, and open to all customers and transit travellers at all times within safety protocols MDG 5.1.14(b). A failure is a minor irregularity: a warning-cum-guidance letter, then Rs 10,000, then Rs 25,000 per irregularity MDG 8.4(iii)(g), as minimum amounts MDG 8.5.1.

The Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024) are the oil companies' rules for their dealers, and bind dealers through the dealership agreement. This page is a plain-language explanation by MDG Services (a brand of VRUOOM Private Limited). It is not the official text and is not connected with or approved by IndianOil, BPCL, HPCL or any government body, so please check the current guidelines and circulars on the oil companies' own websites and with your oil company officer before you act.

Checked against the Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (Ver. 1, effective 24.10.2024) on 15 October 2026. Published by MDG Services on 27 October 2026.

The daily toilet checks

The dealer checks these every day MDG 5.1.14(b). Clause 1.6(vi) and point 7 of the circular repeat the duty MDG 1.6(vi) Circular 20.03.2025.

Area	The dealer checks that	Clause
Condition	The toilet stays clean all the time; water is available; the flush works wherever one is fitted	MDG 5.1.14(b)(i) MDG 5.1.14(b)(iv) MDG 5.1.14(b)(iii)
Light and door	The lighting is in order; the door has a latch that works	MDG 5.1.14(b)(ii) MDG 5.1.14(b)(v)
Signs and access	Signs are in place; every customer and transit traveller can use the toilet at all times, within the safety protocols	MDG 5.1.14(b)(vi) MDG 5.1.14(b)(vii)
Feedback	A “Darpan” QR code is displayed near the toilet	MDG 5.1.14(b)(viii)

The protocol is displayed near the toilet, and a maintenance sheet is kept and displayed. MDG gives no sheet format: ask your oil company MDG 5.1.14(b). See also boards a petrol pump must display.

Who can use the toilet

Every customer and every transit traveller, at all times, within the outlet's safety protocols MDG 5.1.14(b)(vii). The text does not define either group, does not say the user has to buy fuel, and does not mention a charge.

Court note, October 2026: a court case in Kerala dealt with access to outlet toilets, and the position changed during 2025. Check the latest position with your oil company or an advocate.

What happens at an inspection

Officials act on a dirty toilet, no water or a failed flush, a missing or failed latch, or a customer or transit traveller who cannot use it or complains of that. They photograph the toilet or pass the complaint on, and a letter listing the penalty is issued at once MDG 5.1.14(b).

The toilet penalty

MDG 2024: the rule today

A toilet failure is a minor irregularity MDG 8.4(iii)(g).

Instance	Action
First	Warning-cum-guidance letter
Second	Rs 10,000 per irregularity
Third onwards	Rs 25,000 per irregularity MDG 8.4

For how instances are counted, see repeat offences.

An older figure you may see

Older guideline, replaced on 24.10.2024; not the rule today.

	MDG 2012 (Ver. 7, as amended to 30.11.2022)
Class	Major irregularity MDG 2012 8.3(vii)
First instance	Rs 15,000
Second instance	Rs 25,000
Third instance onwards	The higher of Rs 35,000 or 45% of the monthly dealer margin (average of the last 6 months), plus suspension of sales and supplies for 7 days or until the toilet is fixed, whichever is later

For example, under the old rule only: a 6-month average margin of Rs 2,00,000 makes 45% Rs 90,000, higher than Rs 35,000, so Rs 90,000 applies. News articles may quote even older figures; confirm with your oil company.

General information, not legal advice. For your own notice, speak to an advocate or your oil company.

Questions dealers ask

01What are the petrol pump toilet rules in India?

Eight daily checks, from cleanliness and water to a working latch, signs, open access and a “Darpan” QR code MDG 5.1.14(b).

02Can anyone use a petrol pump toilet?

Every customer and transit traveller must be able to use it at all times, within the safety protocols MDG 5.1.14(b)(vii). MDG does not define either group or mention a purchase or a charge. See the court note.

03What is the penalty if a petrol pump toilet is dirty or locked?

It is a minor irregularity: a warning-cum-guidance letter, then Rs 10,000, then Rs 25,000 per irregularity, at minimum MDG 8.4(iii)(g) MDG 8.4 MDG 8.5.1.

04How do I make a petrol pump toilet complaint?

Ask for the complaint book, or call the oil company person whose name and number are displayed MDG 1.6(iv) MDG 1.6(viii).

05Is the old toilet penalty of Rs 15,000, Rs 25,000 and Rs 35,000 still in force?

No. Those figures come from MDG 2012 as amended to 30.11.2022, replaced on 24.10.2024 MDG 2012 8.3(vii). Under MDG 2024 the toilet is a minor irregularity MDG 8.4.

Read the official text: Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (PDF on Bharat Petroleum's website) (also published on iocl.com).

What a petrol pump must provide to customers under MDG 2024Air, toilet, phone, first aid box, drinking water and complaint book: what MDG 2024 and a March 2025 circular require of a petrol pump dealer.

Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024) vs MDG 2012: what changed for dealersMDG 2012 (Ver. 7) and MDG 2024 side by side: toilet and short delivery penalties, wages, service standards, appeals and what stayed the same.

Penalties under the Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024): what each irregularity costsWhat a petrol pump dealer faces under the Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 for a critical, major or minor irregularity, and how sales get stopped.

Boards required at a petrol pump: stock, density and price boardsBoards, notices and stickers that Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 require a petrol pump to display, with the clause for each and what a miss costs.

About Dealer Kavach (advertisement)

Dealer Kavach is an app from MDG Services that tracks your outlet's filings, renewals, inspections and daily reports, and reminds you before deadlines, in Hindi and English.

About this page. This page is a plain-language explanation published by MDG Services, a brand of VRUOOM PRIVATE LIMITED (CIN U29194HR2021PTC098450). It is general information, offered free of charge. It is not the official text of any rule.

Not connected with the oil companies or the government. MDG Services is a private company. It is not connected with, approved by, endorsed by, or acting for Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IndianOil), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) or any government body. Our name shares letters with the short form "MDG" that the oil companies use for their Marketing Discipline Guidelines. That does not mean any link with them.

Names and marks. IndianOil, BPCL, HPCL and the names of their documents belong to their owners. We write them only to say whose rules we are explaining.

Check the official source. The Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (Ver. 1, effective 24.10.2024) and related circulars are issued by the oil companies. Rules, amounts and dates can change, and amendments may reach dealers directly without being public. Before you act, read the current documents on the oil companies' own websites (iocl.com, bharatpetroleum.in, hindustanpetroleum.com) and ask your own oil company's officer. If this page and the official document differ, the official document is the one to follow.

What the amounts mean. Amounts in the guidelines are the minimum action. The oil company may take higher action, up to ending the dealership. Do not treat any amount shown here as your full exposure.

Court and Parliament items. Where we mention a court order or a statement in Parliament, we report what was said on the date shown. It is not the rule for your outlet, and the position may have changed since. Your dealership agreement and the oil company's current guidelines decide.

Not legal advice. This is general information, not legal advice. For your own notice, reply or appeal, speak to an advocate or your oil company. Examples use made-up outlets.

Last checked. The "checked" date shows the day we last compared this page with the official documents. It does not promise that nothing has changed since.

Report an error or send a legal notice. If you see a mistake, or need to send us a notice, write to hello@mdgservices.in. We read every message, check it, and correct or remove the page.

Limits on our responsibility. We take reasonable care to keep this page accurate. To the extent the law allows, MDG Services and VRUOOM PRIVATE LIMITED are not responsible for loss caused by relying on this page alone instead of the official documents. This does not limit anything the law does not allow us to limit, including responsibility for fraud or for an error we knew about and did not correct. Your legal rights are not affected.

Advertisement. The box headed "About Dealer Kavach" is an advertisement for a paid service from MDG Services. This explanation is free and needs no sign-up or purchase to read.

Hindi pages. Hindi pages are written for easy reading. If a Hindi page and the official English document differ, the official English document is the one to follow.

Full disclaimer

Report an error or send a legal notice: hello@mdgservices.in