Pumps in Pakistan's Punjab run out of petrol

Despite claims of adequate availability and the government's warning of stern action against hoarders, Pakistan's Punjab has been ridden with a petrol shortage that is disrupting public life.

The situation is worst in remote areas where the pumps have had no supplies for the last over a month, reports the Dawn.

On the other hand, the Pakistan Petroleum Dealer Association (PPDA) has held all Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) responsible for not ensuring adequate supplies as per demand thus making the pumps dry and leaving the motorists with no option but to search for petrol in cities, the Dawn adds.

Rejecting the claim, the OMC Association of Pakistan (OMAP) said some pumps were involved in hoarding petrol and causing artificial shortages to earn more profits keeping in view the expected price hike of petroleum.

"At present, 30 to 40% of the total 450 pumps in Lahore and its outskirts have no petrol due to squeezed supplies from OMCs, including the largest public sector company and two international firms. Previously these three companies were never to be allegedly involved in such practices. But now they, like others, have started playing such tactics," PPPDA Punjab Information Secretary Khawaja Atif claimed while talking to Dawn on Thursday.

He said similarly, several pumps are closed for many days in Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sheikhupra, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Kasur and other districts. However, the situation is worst in the remote areas of various districts where the pumps are without the commodity for almost one month or so, Khawaja Atif added.

"During late hours of Wednesday, government teams raided various fuel depots near Kasur, Bhai Pheru, Habibabad and some other areas and seized millions of litres of petrol.

These depots were not of us but of some OMCs. State Minister of Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik has also been informed about this development," he explained.

Replying to a question, he said of 5,000 pumps in Punjab, 450 are operating in Lahore alone and they were being supplied only 1.2 to 1.4 million litres instead of their actual daily demand of 3 million litres.

He claimed that the oil supplies worth Rs1 billion are yet to be cleared by the OMCs.

OMAP chairman Tariq Wazir said the OMCs cannot supply 50,000 litres to a single pump against the entire demand for just 10,000 litres. "How can we do this?" he questioned, adding that the OMCs have sufficient stocks for 20 days.