Profiteers fix kerosene price at will

Rawalpindi: Kerosene oil is one of the major sources of fire for those having no access to natural gas. They cannot afford the expensive Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) either. They obviously belong to the poor class. They have to fall back on kerosene oil which should be available for Rs44 per litre. However dealers and retailers ) are selling it at unbelievably exorbitant rate of Rs105-120 per litre, thus earning huge profit.

Nobody has bothered to notice this plunder.  Profiteers are fixing the kerosene oil price at will. The poor belonging to different walks of life have appealed to the prime minister, chief minister and chief justice of Pakistan to take  action against profiteers who are looting them for years.

“We don’t have gas connection, we are using different sources for cooking and heating like LPG, fire wood and kerosene oil. But, price of kerosene oil is skyrocketing,” said Muhammad Nouman, a resident of Gulistan Colony.

He said that more than 50 per cent people are deprived of the facility of natural gas  and are forced to   use different sources of fire. But, we are paying more and more to get sources of fire which is not affordable now, he said.

Ahmed Nawaz Butt a painter said, “I am a painter dealing with kerosene oil. Kerosene oil is used in colours and paint but its price is increasing day in and day out. It is difficult to afford it,” he deplored.

Kerosene Oil Retailers Association (KORA) Rawalpindi representatives have admitted that they were  selling 1-litre kerosene oil at higher rates because we are purchasing commodity at high rates. The dealers provide us 1-litre kerosene oil for Rs85 to Rs90, therefore, we are selling commodity at higher prices, they claimed.