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| December 11, 2006 | Monday | Ziqa'ad 19, 1427 |
Govt loses Rs6bn annually on illegal petrol sale
ISLAMABAD, Dec 10: Smuggling of petroleum products has surged during the past two years on the back of all-time high domestic oil prices.
According to a survery carried out by the ministry of petroleum, the government loses between Rs5 billion and Rs6 billion in tax revenue annually because of oil smuggling. The World Bank had recently advised the government to curb the smuggling of petroleum products and devise a fool-proof system to protect the interests of all stakeholders.
According to a media report, Balochistan and Sindh were the main markets for the smuggled oil products, but during the past two years, its market had expended to Punjab and the NWFP. A wide range of smuggled lubricants is found in almost all cities in Pakistan.
Iranian petrol and diesel are openly available in various localities in Karachi, especially those near the kachchi abadis.
A litre of smuggled petrol is available for a price ranging between Rs34 and Rs38 in Lyari, North Nazimabad, New Karachi, Nusrat Bhutto Colony, SITE and Organi town areas, while a liter of diesel is being sold within a price range of Rs28-Rs34.
In Hub, the closest Balochistan town, one litre of petrol and diesel are available within a price range of Rs32 and Rs36 and Rs26-Rs32, respectively.
According to the survey, almost 50 per cent of public transporters in Karachi were using smuggled petrol and diesel, while rest of them had either converted their vehicles to CNG or LPG.In Quetta, Iranian petrol and diesel is being sold for Rs30-Rs33, and Rs32-Rs33, respectively.
In Gwadar, the price of a litre of petrol and diesel fluctuated between Rs25 and Rs30 and Rs24 and Rs28, respectively. In border areas of Taftan, Kharan and Kaitch, petrol and diesel is available for Rs20 a litre.
The report maintained that smuggled petroleum products were now seeping as far away as the NWFP and Punjab.
A few weeks ago, officials of the Sarhad Petroleum Cartage and the Dealers Association had warned that they would start selling sub-standard smuggled petroleum if the government did not stop its sale in the province.
The report said that smuggled petrol was available in major cities in the Frontier province, including Peshawar, Swat, Mardan and Kohat.—Online
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