LAHORE – Demand of petrol in the Punjab province till December was 12290 metric ton per day which sharply swelled to over 40,000 metric ton, disclosed a counsel for the Ministry of Petroleum appeared in the Lahore High Court.
The court also sought detailed report from the Ministry of Petroleum and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority over the worst fuel shortage in the country. The reason behind this demand was the cheaper rates, said the counsel. He added that the sudden increase in demand led to the shortage of petrol and now it was available in the province and anyone could get it easily.
Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah of the LHC who was hearing the case asked the Ogra’s counsel why the government did not know that the low prices would create shortage of petrol in the country. The judge further said that it was important to know about the reality of the crisis. He directed the respondents to submit reply regarding the mechanism of how the prices of petroleum products get fixed.
