Petrol stock dries out in Punjab
Fahad Altaf
RAWALPINDI: The shortage of petrol remained continued in twin cities with no action on the part of government against the petrol mafia while long queues of hundreds of car, motorcycle, rickshaw, taxi cab and other public transport owners faced huge difficulties in getting petrol to move on roads.
Petrol pump owners also suspended the supply of petrol in various parts of the city whereas long queues of vehicles and motorcyclists would be witnessed on the filling stations which were opened and providing the fuel to consumers. The long queues of vehicles outside filling stations also triggered a massive traffic gridlock on many small and big roads. The attendance in schools, colleges, universities and offices remained thin owing to suspension of fuel to the people using vehicles for travel in the city.
According to detail taken by visiting various areas of the city, this scribe on Friday , it was witnessed that the vehicle owners and motorcyclists were running from one to another filling station to get even a few liters fuel to start the engine of their four and two wheelers. A huge rush of motorcyclists and vehicles could be seen at filling stations located in Punj Sarki, Saddar, RA Bazaar, Mareer Chowk, Mareer Hassan, Tipu Road, Airport Road, Rawal Road, Commercial Market, 6th Road, Saidpur Road, Asghar Mall Scheme, Double Road, Pirwadhai, Misrial Road, Chakra, Dhoke Syedan Road, Bakra Mandi, Dheri Hassanabad, Tulsa Chowk, Mubarak Lane, Rukhshanda Masjid, Morgah, Katcheri, Al Shifa, Behria Town Stop, Humak, Model Town, Rawat, Mandra, Chakwal Road, Jalti, Sohawa and Jhelum and on other filling stations located along with GT Road.
Talking to The Patriot, Bilal , a resident of Sadar, said that he was standing in a long queue outside Punj Sarki Pump on for last three hours but could not get petrol. He said that he could not go school as there was no fuel in his car. He said that the petrol mafia wanted the government to increase the price of fuel and government seemingly bowing before the illegal demands of the mafia. Abdul Khaffar , a driver said that he could only get a few liters of petrol from a pump located on The Mall Road after waiting for almost three hours. He added that he witness many people who buy petrol on high price upto 110 per liter from different petrol agencies.
The citizens blasted present Govt and its,Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shehbaz Sharif for keeping criminal mum over the fuel shortage created by the petrol pumps mafia. “Look at PM and CM. Both are busy in foreign trips and are not taking care of the masses. They should step down from their offices if they can’t run the state of affairs amicably,” said Muzaffar Ali, a student of political science in a government run college, who was also pushing his motorcycle in search of petrol at Asghar Mall Scheme. The cell phones of Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and his PA Hafiz Usman were switched off when this scribe dialed their mobile numbers to know their point of view on the artificial shortage of fuel.
