OGRA ‘responsible’ for Pakistan fuel crisis

ISLAMABAD: A committee tasked to probe the prevailing petrol shortage on Tuesday said the situation was a serious failure on the part of OGRA (Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority) as a regulator, Geo.tv reported.
The committee presented its initial findings to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a meeting held here under his chairmanship to review the petroleum situation in the country.
The premier ordered structural changes to ensure that such a situation never arises again.
The meeting endorsed the earlier decision of suspenwding four senior officials responsible for the crisis.
The meeting also decided that Deputy Managing Director Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Sohail Butt was also equally responsible and ordered for his suspension as well.
Meanwhile, Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that he was never satisfied with the performance of OGRA and the authority’s performance as a regulator was not just dismal for petrol but was also same for gas.
The petrol crisis has entered its eight day in Punjab as commuters continue their search for fuel. Long queues are seen at stations which are open with people complaining of waiting for several hours for just a liter of petrol.
The All Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association said that 5.7m liters of petrol has been disbursed to fuel stations across Punjab during the last three days and another 1.8m liters will be dispersed by tonight.
However, according to the Petroleum Dealers Association, the state of affairs is improving and the chaos at stations was only due to mismanagement of the pumps and had nothing to do with the supply.