Fuel companies, depots want government to increase prices

Rawalpindi
People were quite happy over the reduction in petrol and diesel prices during past few months. However, the strong cartel of fuel companies, depots and petrol pumps seems hell bent upon ruining their happy moments, as during past two to three days, around 80 per cent of petrol pumps in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have run dry. Motorists and motorcyclists were running from one filling station to another to get fuel to run their vehicles.
Reliable sources from oil companies and petrol depots informed ‘The News’ that depots have refused to supply fuel demanding of the government to compensate for the losses they suffered due to reduction in POL prices during past three months. The oil companies have also said that the government did not consider them at the time of reducing fuel prices. “The oil companies and depots want the government to increase fuel rates by at least Rs10 per litre, otherwise they would not supply petrol,” sources said.
On the other hand, petrol pump owners said that they had already paid money to depots for petrol but depot owners refused to provide fuel to them.
Rawalpindi-Islamabad Transport Welfare Association General Secretary Raja Ikhlaq said that several wagons were off the road due to shortage of petrol for a couple of days, particularly on Wednesday. “Earlier, we were running after CNG. Now we are searching for petrol,” he stated.
Helpless motorists were seen fighting with one another to get tanks of their vehicles filled with petrol, as the majority of petrol pumps in Rawalpindi remained closed due to the artificial shortage by fuel companies, depots and petrol pumps. Police and traffic wardens intervened to calm down motorists at petrol pumps along Mareer Hassan, Adiala Road, Jhanda Chichi, Bakramandi, Tulsa Road, Jhelum Road, Airport Road, Pirwadhai and some other localities.
As per routine, a few fuel stations were open in Rawalpindi on Wednesday where a large number of vehicles were seen in long queues.
Talking to ‘The News,’ people said that the government has totally failed to provide even basic necessities of life to them. "We are braving severe winter season without gas. We are facing 12 to 16 hours of power loadshedding in severe winter and now we have to suffer from artificial shortage of petrol," they denounced.
“It seems the government is playing into the hands of blackmailing mafia; these fuel companies have no right to cut short the supply of fuel after reduction in petrol and diesel prices citing their losses during past two to three months. Can anybody question these fuel companies, depots and petrol pumps whether they provided fuel to the consumers on old rates whenever there was increase in POL prices in the past. I am hundred percent sure they did not waste a minute in increasing their rates as soon as fuel prices were increased. So now, how could they want an increase of Rs10 per litre on petrol when fuel prices are going down in the international market? Government should take serious notice of this highhandedness and check this malpractice,” said a motorcyclist, Ali Humayun.
Rashid Mehmood, a motorist, told ‘The News’ that he wanted to get filled the tank of his car after hearing news about shortage of fuel. He said that his parents were sick, and in case of an emergency, he would have to take them to the hospital. “If I have no petrol in my car, I cannot move in case of an emergency,” he said.
Zubair Ahmed, another motorist, said that he has been waiting at the petrol pump for over an hour to get fuel, but so far he has not been successful. “Our government should take serious notice of this artificial shortage,” he denounced.
“An interesting situation developed at a petrol pump along Tulsa Road, when we were waiting to get fuel in a queue. The filling station ran out of fuel,” said Kanwal Bashir, a working woman.
Ashraf Ahmed, a motorist, said that people in Rawalpindi and Islamabad are already facing problems due to zero gas pressure, non-availability of electricity and now non-availability of petrol. The government has stopped petrol supply to create more and more difficulties for public, he bemoaned.
A large number of commuters, including women and schoolchildren, were seen waiting for buses and vans at the Waris Khan, Committee Chowk, Kutchery Chowk, Faizabad, Markaz G-9, Peshawar Morr, Markaz F-8, 7-Up Chowk, Double Road, Pirwadhai, PIMS Chowk and several other areas of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.