OKARA, Nov 17: Owners of filling stations never miss an opportunity of making quick bucks and keep their tanks full in anticipation of price spiral, but they always maintain their tanks at dead level for days if the situation is otherwise even at the cost of public inconvenience.

Throughout the district, the general public particularly the farmers are facing a severe shortage of petrol and diesel. Long queues of vehicles can be seen at filling stations as most of pumps are ‘running short’ of fuel.

Reports said owners of petrol pumps had stopped buying fuel from the depots because they had anticipated that the government was going to make heavy cutbacks in POL prices on Nov 15.

The worst-sufferers of fuel shortage are the farmers who are busy in sowing wheat crop while rice harvesting is also greatly affected.

It is also learnt that a few petrol pumps, which are in business, are charging fancy prices for the fuel. The people demanded that the authorities concerned should take stock of the situation.

MEASURES: The district government has taken precautionary measures against the dengue fever.

District Coordination Officer Sohail Shahzad directed the health department to start fumigation on a priority basis.

The health department has set up a control room in the city which will work round the clock. Any help regarding the dengue fever can be sought at telephone number 044-9200138.