CHAKWAL: Contrary to the reports in print and electronic media, Chakwal district continued to face fuel shortage on Friday. The officials and owners of different filling stations attributed the crisis to disruption in supply and panic-buying.

On Friday most filling stations in the district remained closed as petrol was not available on them. The officials of district administration also faced problems in getting their vehicles’ tanks filled.

Some filling stations began offering the fuel in the morning but they had to stop as their reservoirs went dry due to panic-buying.

There are 96 filling stations in Chakwal district and daily demand of fuel including diesel and petrol is 400,000 litres.  

“People should blame themselves for the crisis as they have gone crazy about the fuel,” said Chaudhry Waseem Zaffar, the president of Petroliam Dealers Association Chakwal.

Panic-induced buying blamed for crisis

“When situation was normal average sale at my filling stations was 5,000 litres daily, but at present the demand jumped to 10,000 litres,” he added. Mr Zaffar said in normal days a motorcyclist or a rickshaw owner used to buy petrol for Rs150 but now they demand petrol worth Rs800 on each visit.

“The motorcyclists and rickshaw owners fear that they will not be able to get petrol again. That is why they are buying as much as they can,” he maintained. He, however, expressed the hope that the situation would get normal by Monday.

Malik Asim, another owner of filling station, also voiced similar views.

“Fuel supply is normal but it is panic among the people which is causing problem,” he said.

He blamed the government for the crisis. However some owners also said the crisis had disturbed their supply badly.

The filling stations where fuel is supplied by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) are the worst hit.

“We got supply two days ago which exhausted in no time,” said Maratab Ali Khan, owner of a PSO filling station.   

On the other hand, some opportunists are selling petrol in black. They get their motorcycle’s tank filled at the petrol station and then sell it in black.

“I needed petrol urgently so I bought two litres at the rate of Rs300 from a person,” said Shoaib Qammar a resident of Chakwal city.   

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had staged a protest rally against the petrol crisis recently.

When contacted, District Coordination Officer Asif Bilal Lodhi said the crisis would soon ease.

“We are trying our best to ensure petrol supply at all the filling stations in the district. I hope that the matter would be resolved very soon,” he said.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2015

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