The filling stations across Karachi are charging more than the government-notified rates. According to the notification of the government, the retail price of petrol has been fixed at Rs305.36 and the price of diesel has been set at Rs311.84 per litre, however, petrol is being sold at Rs306.15 per liter at fuel stations across Karachi. Similarly, diesel is being sold at Rs312.63 per liter instead of Rs311.84.
Consumers say that the owners of the filling station are arbitrarily charging an extra amount.
Filling station managers say, they are charging extra amount from in the head of transport charges. The petroleum marketing companies have justified the collection of additional charges. PSO sources say that the impact is not the additional charges but the secondary freight cost.
It may be noted that inland freight charges are imposed to keep the price of petroleum products uniform across the country and in terms of transport costs, if we look at the expense of each city and region, the cost of freight in Karachi is the lowest. Because the cost of storage of refineries and delivery of imported products from the port in Karachi is less than the delivery charges to other cities. But the consumers of Karachi bear the cost of keeping the price uniform across the country as a result the collection of extra amount will go into millions of rupees in terms of total petrol-diesel sales.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 2nd, 2023.
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