- Distributors say some companies deliver small quantities of diesel.
- Fuel pumps run dry and can’t serve customers: dealers
- Distributors also complain about cancellation of orders once placed.
Fuel traders warn that a shortage of high-speed manufactured diesel is hitting petrol pumps across the country, and are calling on the government to act before conditions deteriorate. The news reported on Saturday.
In a letter to the chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), the Petrol Pump Distributors Association said that oil marketing companies (OMCs) have been limiting the supply of diesel for the past week.
According to distributors, some companies deliver very small quantities, while others do not supply any fuel. Because of this, many pumps run dry and cannot serve customers.
Distributors say they place orders that are then canceled and fuel trucks are left waiting for hours without being loaded. They believe the shortage is not natural but artificial, created by companies ahead of a possible increase in fuel prices scheduled for the end of this month.
The association stated that the supply outages are so severe that the stations “can barely meet the needs of the public.” They have asked Ogra to direct the OMCs to provide diesel based on the regular sales of each pump so that the stations can function normally again.
The letter, sent on November 14 by the association’s vice president, was also shared with senior officials, including the petroleum minister, petroleum secretary, petroleum director general and Oil Companies Advisory Council secretary.
It should be noted that a fuel price update is expected today at midnight.
The government has increased fuel prices for the outgoing fortnight, effective November 1, following the recommendations of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and relevant ministries.
The price of petrol was increased by Rs 2.43 per liter and fixed at Rs 265.45 per liter till tonight, while the price of high speed diesel (HSD) was also increased by Rs 3.02 to Rs 278.44 per litre, the Finance Division said in a notification based on the authority’s latest revision.
