Petrol shortage refuses to subside

LAHORE:Petrol shortage stubbornly refuses to subside, biting hard on commuters in the provincial metropolis.

Although Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC), a conglomerate of oil marketing companies and refineries operating in the country claimed to have continuously replenish current stocks of petrol, but the supply chain is yet to see any tangible improvement.

Petroleum dealers were of the view that the supply of petroleum products had still been far less than the requirements. They added that little improvement of 10 to 20 percent in terms of enhanced supplies had lately been witnessed but the problem was far from over anytime soon. The federal government must play a pivotal role in narrowing down of gaps in the supply chain, they said.

According to OCAC, a total quantity of around 850,000 Metric Tonne (MT) of petrol is being supplied from the production of local refineries and Imports to the distribution and retail network of the country in June. The current sales of petrol in the country are exceptionally high, showing 50 percent growth due to easing of Covid-19 lockdown in past few weeks causing depletion of stocks and low prices of the product.

Average sales of petrol for period July 2019 to May 2020 (11 months) has been around 600,000 MT/month which translates into sales of around 20,000 MT/day. However, for the reasons mentioned above, a high surge of sales/consumption of 30,000 MT/day has been experienced in the first six days of June 2020.

The sudden increase of 50% in consumption is being complemented by the Industry through additional Imports in June and July. While there are few pockets of constrained supplies in some parts of the country and Ministry of Energy - Petroleum Division (MEPD), Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), local refineries and oil marketing companies are working round the clock to mitigate the situation. In view of adequate quantity of petrol being arranged through the petroleum products supply-chain, the industry requested all consumers of petrol to fill-up their vehicles as per their normal needs and do not resort to excessive buying.

Ring Road: Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) will soon complete landscaping, horticulture and construction work at the interchanges on Ring Road.

PHA is working with a comprehensive strategy to make the City green and beautiful, said PHA DG Muzaffar Khan while visiting the interchanges of Ring Road here Monday. Accompanying the PHA DG on the occasion were Authority’s Director Headquarters Mudassar Ejaz, Project Director Ring Road Akhtar Mahmood and Designer Rizwan Baig. The DG took a detailed look at the horticulture and construction work at Ring Road areas, including Kamahan, Ashana and Gajumata Interchange and instructed Project Director Ring Road Akhtar Mahmood to complete the horticulture and construction work within a week.