Averting dry spell : Pumps across Peshawar continue to ration sales

Sarhad Petroleum Cartage general secretary says more oil tankers are en route to the provincial capital

PESHAWAR:

Petrol pumps in the provincial capital continued to sell a limited amount of fuel to customers on Monday, fearing a petrol shortage could bring Peshawar to a halt along the lines of Punjab.  

Although a majority of petrol pumps remained open, they did not sell fuel exceeding Rs200 to car owners and Rs100 to motorcycle riders.



“I went to a petrol pump on Kohat Road but they refused to fill petrol costing more than Rs200. I had to go there twice to get enough fuel for my daily use,” said Mohammad Umer, a commuter.

‘There’s enough petrol’

Khalid Khan, the general secretary of Sarhad Petroleum Cartage and Dealers Association, told The Express Tribune the state-run Pakistan State Oil (PSO) had supplied enough fuel to the city on Monday to overcome the crisis.

“We have not received any reports regarding a complete drying up of stations in the city,” he said. Khan added the limited sale formula was made by the managements of petrol pumps to avoid complete exhaustion of stocks as has happened in Punjab. According to Khan, the association has not issued any such directives.

The general secretary further said the city consumed around 650,000 litres of petrol on Monday, including the 450,000 litres PSO provided a day earlier.

Khan added there are around 140 petrol pumps in the city and its daily requirement is about 750,000 litres. “Because of the availability of CNG, Peshawar is not facing any problems as very few people rely on petrol,” he said.

Khan added the crisis will be over by Tuesday (today) as more oil tankers are on their way to Peshawar but are stuck at Kotal area in Darra Adam Khel due to a road blockade.

Reduced supply 

However, representatives of All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association (APOTOA) said only four oil tankers carrying 160,000 litres entered the province on Monday which is not enough to meet its needs.

“Usually, every day up to 15 oil tankers come to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa but since the past few days, supply has fallen twice over,” said Haji Mohammad Ayub, the president of APOTOA in Peshawar.

He added the province is not receiving petrol as per its needs while the available stock stored in its warehouses has also been consumed.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2015.