Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to add new components to the  “Fuel Monitoring App” for online fuel management system by the end of this month, to issue digital fuel indents and curb fuel theft.

The system has been used for the past six months but adding a new component will digitize the entire fuel indent process, allowing officials to issue fuel permissions through a mobile app and implement real time vehicle tracking.

According to the BMC’s transport department, currently, the corporation operates with over 1,650 vehicles and more than 300 machines, issuing 100–125 fuel indents daily.

The manual system has led to frequent delays and discrepancies, including reported cases of fuel theft in which drivers allegedly altered the indent quantity and 40 litres written on paper were changed to 60, only to be discovered after complete book audits.

To tackle these issues, the BMC is implementing the software as a second stage with the support of the Madhya Pradesh Agency for Promotion of Information Technology.

The system will allow officers to log in individually and authorize how much fuel is to be given to a vehicle. Once operational, all corporation vehicles and equipment will be registered on the portal, enabling easy tracking and monthly usage reviews.

Trial runs are expected to begin next month, with training provided to all relevant officials. Once fully implemented, indents will be issued with just one click, ensuring real-time authorization and eliminating the need for manual approvals. As a result, the current logbook-checking cell will be dissolved.

Several cases of fuel theft in the BMC have come to light, in which 40 litres was written on Indent, but the drivers erased it and made it 50 or sometimes 60 litres. But this is detected at the time of matching after the entire Indent book was finished.

BMC’s deputy commissioner Chanchalesh Girhare told the Free Press that this new online fuel management system was already saving 5000 litres of diesel from being stolen. Adding a new fuel monitoring app would not only save fuel and time but also bring a high level of accountability and efficiency in day-to-day operations, he said.