LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has written a letter to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, strongly protesting interruption in the fuel supply to the country’s biggest province and urging him to have the matter probed.
The letter pointed out as the situation about fuel shortage worsened deplorably on Sunday so the Chief Minister had no option but to ask the federal government to take measures to make the fuel available to consumers.
The CM conveyed his concern to the PM over the serious shortage of petrol in the province, underscoring the need for solving this problem without any delay.
It was stressed that due to suspension of petrol supply to various cities of Punjab, people are facing serious hardships, and daily life and business activities have virtually come to a grinding halt.
The CM said as the Punjab government could not remain silent over the shortage of petrol, therefore, it decided to raise this issue at every level.
Shahbaz said poor people whose life has already become miserable in the context of inflated rates of electricity and gas are being impelled to buy petrol at exorbitant price.
Meanwhile, the fuel situation in Lahore and other Punjab cities showed no sign of improvement even on the sixth consecutive day, as motorists were constrained to queuing up for the commodity on Sunday. The shortage of the fuel continued in most parts of the provincial capital, with a limited petrol stations providing the fuel in a very scarce amount.
Consequently, the hapless motorists gathered around the selected PSO pumps where limited stock of the fuel was available while other companiesÂ’ filling stations including Shell, Caltex and Total also ran out of stocks.
A motorist observed that the persistent petroleum shortage in the wake of unprecedented floods in the country, is forcing them to wait in long queues for a long time to procure the fuel.
It is to be mentioned here that majority of the petrol stations in Lahore have exhausted their reserves and were closed down. Several cities, including Faisalabad, Quetta, Sahiwal, Okara, Pattoki, Sheikhupura, Multan, Vehari, Mailsi, Khanewal and Khangarh were reportedly facing this shortage for the last one week, where the stocks of the fuel came to an end now and most of the petrol pumps were shut down.
In Lahore, due to acute shortage, petrol pumps, in most parts of the City, have stopped the fuel sale, however, very few stations are providing petrol but in a very little amount.