New Delhi : With technology derived from the Czech Republic, portable petrol pumps will soon make their presence felt in India. 

Cost-effective and easy to install in two hours, portable pumps can come handy in hilly regions, rural areas and urban areas where land is at premium. The technology from Petrocard, a Czech company, is being brought to India by Alinz Group India, an electronics company based in Delhi. 

Addressing a press conference here, Alinz Group chief Inderjit Pruthi said that portable petrol pump would be a self-service dispensing machine for various types of fuel like petrol, diesel, kerosene and at a later stage CNG and LPG. He added that it would accept payments through credit or debit cards, electronic wallet and there would not be any cash transaction. 

The device consists of a tank capacity of 9,975 litres to 35,000 litres  with 220v inbuilt power back up.  For tracking and safety,  camera, GPRS system, satellite internet communications has been facilitated. 

The machine is built keeping in mind health, safety, environment and fire protection system. “We are in talks with various State governments after the Centre approved this project on August 10. The allotment and location will be decided by the public sector oil companies along with State governments as per their existing policies,” Mr. Pruthi said. 

He said the company plans to supply nearly 8,000 portable petrol pumps over the next five or six years. Each such pump would require an investment of Rs. 90 lakhs to Rs. 1.20 crore for which banks can also provide loans. “Our role is that of technology provider. We are not here to distribute portable petrol pumps,” he added. 

As the machine is portable and meets emergency needs at a location, petroleum products can easily reach rural areas and farmers and entrepreneurs can benefit from it. 

Presentations have been made to Indian Railways, Oil Marketing companies, State government and other authorities in the country, Mr. Pruthi said. The company also plans to establish the manufacturing units in at least four States with a total investment of about Rs. 1600 crores, he added.