Mukesh Ambani 's Reliance Industries has over 1,200 fuel pumps across the country, most of which it reopened rapidly after the government began gradual deregulation of diesel prices in 2014. The company has a license to open up to 5,000 fuel pumps. Meanwhile, British oil major BP Plc has an in-principle approval to open 3,500 retail fuel stations in India. Another smaller private competitor Shell had 83 fuel pumps in operation at the end of December last year. However, this is not the first time the private companies are betting big on fuel retailing. Private retailers including Essar Oil and Reliance Industries, who had gained about 6% market share of fuel retailing industry by 2004 with 1,840 outlets, had started closing down the fuel pumps after the government's intervention to control rapidly rising fuel prices in 2005. Their share fell to a mere 1% by 2010. However, buoyed by the deregulation of the fuel prices in 2010, the private retailers again began ramping up their retail presence.