Oil
tankers
Sir,
The
whole country was paralyzed on only the third day of the recent oil tanker
owners’ strike, and the government was forced to bend over backwards to make
the men agree to resume oil supplies. The first question that comes to mind is,
why don’t the petroleum marketing companies have adequate fleets of tankers?
Secondly,
our petrol pumps ran dry just two days after the supplies were stopped, so we
can imagine the situation if there is a war or floods. The tanker mafia,
moreover, raised more demands when they saw that their strike was having the
desired effect. This means, in effect, that they can force the government to
accept all their demands, including non-payment of all taxes.
Surely
it’s time for the government to do something, rather than wait for the next
strike to bring the country to a standstill. For a start, they should
compel the oil marketeers to have an adequate number of tankers, and to
increase the storage capacity of the existing retail outlets, as well as
increase the number of petrol pumps.
Shakir Lakhani,
Karachi.
The Friday Times, August 18, 2017
http://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/letters-182/
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