Fuel crisis rears head across Sindh

Price reduction leads to widespread unavailability of petrol at stations

HYDERABAD: A fuel crisis has erupted across Sindh after the federal government reduced the price of petrol to less than Rs75 per litre, leading to the commodity being unavailable at fuel stations and being sold in black markets.

With litre bottles in hand, people crowded in long queues at many petrol pumps, throwing the standard operating procedures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 to the wind. Motorcyclists, too, lined up shoulder to shoulder.

The few fuel stations in Hyderabad that continued to sell the fuel saw hundreds of motorcyclists and dozens of cars turn up at their doors, as pump owners claimed that supply disruption had led to a shortage at many stations.

Though the City taluka assistant commissioner cancelled the licences of five petrol pumps on Thursday, the station owners did not budge.

Jamshoro deputy commissioner Capt (retd) Fariduddin Mustafa claimed that pumps with fuel reserves had been forced to open to customers. "However, pumps that have run out of stock cannot be forced to sell the fuel."

A similar situation was seen in Tando Allahyar district, where a few pumps opened up after the local administration swung into action.

"Our supply orders are pending with the company and so we are waiting for more fuel," said Shaukat Arbab, a petrol pump manager, adding that their existing stock was nearly depleted and they were currently only selling fuel in low quantities to small vehicles and motorcycles.

Bashir Ahmed, a Pakistan State Oil (PSO) fuel station manager, also claimed that petrol was in short supply from the company, and so they were selling less fuel.

In Larkana district, too, people ran from one fuel station to another, but in vain. "In this sizzling heat, I have pushed my motorcycle for more than two kilometres after running out of fuel, taking it to three different pumps," bewailed Shahid Noonari, a resident.

Consumers claimed that some of the pumps were charging between Rs100 to Rs150 per litre of the commodity. "Will the petrol pumps now decide that what the price of petrol will be in this country?" asked Abdul Razzaq Soomro, a resident.

Imdad Ali Samo, who owns a petrol pump in Umerkot district, blamed the supply companies for reducing the fuel supply and causing the shortage, adding that most of the fuel stations in Umerkot were also either closed or charging as high as double the government-approved price.

Meanwhile, Naveed Rehmani, a distributor at a private company, claimed that his company was also not receiving the required quantity of fuel from the government, which, he said, had prioritised PSO for its fuel supply.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2020.