Petrol pump inspection checklist: 20 service obligations

Short answer

The 20 Minimum Service Obligations are customer-service points listed in a circular dated 20.03.2025. It is a joint format for the dealers of all three oil companies and points back to clause 5.1.18 of the Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024) Circular 20.03.2025 MDG 5.1.18. The circular sets no penalty of its own: a NO is acted on under 5.1.18, a minor irregularity MDG 8.4, or under the clause that fits the item.

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 17 October 2026.

The 20 points in plain words

Point numbers are the circular's; the wording is ours. At inspection each point is marked YES or NO Circular 20.03.2025. Later circulars can add to the list MDG 5.1.18, so check what your oil company has sent.

Point	What you need in place	Clause
1	No product runs out, ever.
2	Every dispensing unit is manned (CA, DSM or CSA) through working hours.
3	The meter is at zero before each delivery, and the customer is shown the zero and then the closing reading.	MDG 1.4.2(f) MDG 5.1.17
4	Staff guide vehicles and keep the forecourt queue in order.
5	Purified drinking water. MDG sets no standard; ask your oil company.
6	A manned air facility with a calibrated gauge.	MDG 5.1.14(a) MDG 1.6(ii)
7	The toilet protocol is followed. See the toilet rules.	MDG 5.1.14(b)
8	Staff are quick and polite.	MDG 1.6(iii)
9	Digital payment is on offer and switched on.
10	Dispensing units, pedestals, island and lube display are clean.	MDG 5.1.17 MDG 1.6(x)
11	Entry and exit roads are clear, clean and lit.	MDG 5.1.17 MDG 1.6(x)
12	Emblem, light poles, monolith, signage and fascia are clean.	MDG 5.1.17
13	The sales room is neat and clean.	MDG 5.1.17
14	A first aid box and a "Q&Q kit" are available. See the first aid box.	MDG 5.1.14(a) MDG 1.6(ix)
15	Utility bins and dustbins are clean and easy to reach.	MDG 5.1.17
16	Safety signs such as "No Smoking" and "switch off engine".
17	Working hours are shown; holiday notices go up well ahead.	MDG 1.6(v)
18	Names and phone numbers of the oil company people to call with a complaint are shown.	MDG 5.1.17 MDG 1.6(viii)
19	The retail selling price of every product is shown. See the display boards.	MDG 5.1.15 MDG 1.3(i)
20	Any other legal duty or direction of a competent authority is followed.

The rows with no clause rest on the circular alone Circular 20.03.2025.

What a NO can cost

A shortfall under 5.1.18 draws the minor-irregularity ladder: a warning-cum-guidance letter, then Rs 10,000, then Rs 25,000 per irregularity MDG 5.1.18 MDG 8.4.

Several NOs found together: see repeat offences.

Acknowledge the circular

The circular asks the dealer to confirm receipt to the controlling office, in the format sent with it, and to keep the acknowledgement in the records Circular 20.03.2025. MDG also asks for oil company letters to be kept in a file at the outlet MDG 1.5(iv).

Questions dealers ask

01What are the minimum service obligations and customer service standards at a petrol pump?

They are 20 customer-service points in a circular dated 20.03.2025, issued under MDG clause 5.1.18. Later circulars can add to them Circular 20.03.2025 MDG 5.1.18 MDG 1.6(xii).

02Is there a standard petrol pump inspection checklist?

MDG 2024 prints no general inspection form. For customer service the circular's 20 points work as the checklist, each marked YES or NO Circular 20.03.2025. Records, density, seals and stock are checked under their own clauses.

03What is the penalty if a petrol pump fails the minimum service obligations?

A shortfall under 5.1.18 is a minor irregularity: a warning-cum-guidance letter, then Rs 10,000, then Rs 25,000 per irregularity. These are minimum actions, taken once the irregularity is established MDG 5.1.18 MDG 8.4 MDG 8.5.1 MDG 8.5.2.

04Are drinking water and digital payment compulsory at a petrol pump?

Both are among the 20 points the circular says dealers are to ensure Circular 20.03.2025. MDG's chapters set no standard for drinking water, so ask your oil company what it accepts. Digital payment (cards, loyalty machine, QR code) should be available and enabled Circular 20.03.2025.

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

Petrol pump inspection: who checks, what they check, what followsWho can inspect a petrol pump, what a visit can cover, why a dealer cannot refuse, and what comes next: samples, lab results and a show cause notice.

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.

Petrol pump toilet rules in India under MDG 2024The daily toilet checks Marketing Discipline Guidelines 2024 (MDG 2024) sets, who may use the toilet, and the penalty now versus an older, replaced figure.

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.

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