June 29, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-us-Sani 24, 1429

VEHARI, June 28: Diesel has become a rare commodity for the last two days paralysing most of the diesel-fitted vehicles in both urban and rural areas of Vehari district which in turn is taking its toll on the agriculture sector.

Some filling stations are selling diesel in limited quantity while 95 per cent of them have stopped the supply in anticipation of price hike from July 1.

The shortage has badly hit the intercity transport. Owners of the public transport say they will have to suspend the service on inter-city routes if the diesel remains in short supply.

A filling station owner holds petroleum companies responsible for the short supply of diesel. He alleges that these companies have reduced the supply only to earn heavy profits at the cost of inconvenience to the general public.

He further says said the prevailing situation is badly affecting the agriculture sector because a majority of tractors and tubewells have become non-functional.

Kissan Board Pakistan spokesman Jawed Husain Shah said that shortage and black marketing of diesel was adversely affecting rice sowing in the area.

He said abundant water was a prerequisite for sowing and growth of the rice crop, but farmers were finding it hard to properly irrigate their paddies through tubewells due to diesel shortage and its blackmarketing.

Mr Shah said that officials concerned failed to check blackmarketing of diesel which had created shortage of fuel.

He warned that the rice production could register a sharp decline if the situation persisted for some more days, depriving the country of huge foreign exchange it earned through exporting the yield.

BAHAWALPUR: The diesel shortage has gripped the city and other parts of the district causing inconvenience to commuters and the transporters alike.

Private transporters are facing hardships to get the diesel supply in required quantity from petrol pumps to keep plying their fleet of vehicles on intercity routes.

Daewoo terminal in charge Nadir Abbas Goraya met with district officer (revenue) Amanullah Ghazi on Saturday and requested him to help the transport company in the smooth supply of diesel from private sources.

The DO assured him that the administration would help the company keep the service running round-the-clock for the ease of general public.

Mr Goraya said although the company had its own petrol pump at the local terminal, it was also hit with the short supply by the PSO.

He said the PSO had assured the company to augment the supply after July 1.

The shortage of diesel has also affected the sowing of cotton in some parts of the district.