Terrorism takes its toll on petrol, CNG sales

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Filling station owners say sales have dropped by 20 to 30 percent
* Blame closure of schools, terrorist attacks for drop
* Motorists prefer to stay home due to security concerns

By Nauman Tasleem

LAHORE: The sale of petrol and CNG has reduced by 20 to 30 percent throughout the city due to a decrease in people’s mobility following the recent spate of terrorist attacks, filling station owners have told Daily Times.

The petrol and CNG filling station owners said sales had dropped drastically following the recent terrorist attacks and the closure of schools in the province. They said the majority of their customers were buying far less fuel now, as compared to the quantity they were buying prior to the attacks.

Schools at fault: “I have several regular customers and they are all consuming far less fuel now,” said Saeed Khan, the manager of a local filling station. He said motorcyclists were also opting for less fuel. He said one of the major reasons for the decline in sales was the closure of schools, as school van owners used to purchase around 10 litres of petrol everyday. However, he added, since the schools had shut down, the van owners had stopped buying fuel altogether. “We used to sell 3,500 to 4,000 litres of petrol daily but now the sale is around 3,000 litres per day,” he added.

Abdul Majid, the owner of a CNG filling station, said a large number of his customers used to purchase Rs 200 to Rs 300 worth of CNG on a daily basis. However, he said, nowadays most people did not purchase more than Rs 150 to 200 worth in a single day. “I have a large number of customers who used to purchase CNG early every morning when they were transporting their children to schools. However, these people come far less now,” he said, adding that sales at his filling station had decreased by at least 20 percent.

School bus owners, meanwhile, told Daily Times they had not needed to pick or drop any students last week due to the closure of schools, thus their consumption of fuel had been greatly reduced. “The schools have already been closed for over a week and several will continue to stay closed until November 1. Therefore, we don’t need the fuel we would have otherwise needed to transport the children,” said Jameel Ahmed, the owner of a school van.

Staying in: Motorists agreed with the school van owners, saying their consumption had decreased due to the closure of schools and reduced mobility. “My children are not going to school, therefore there is no need to get extra fuel anymore. Also, due to the security concerns, we are going out less in the evenings, further reducing our fuel consumption,” said Sadeed Ather, a banker, adding his car’s consumption of CNG had dropped by at least 35 percent.

Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) Chairman Abdul Sami Khan said petroleum sales had decreased throughout the country. He said the decline was higher in some parts, adding some filling stations had witnessed a 40 percent decrease in revenue while others had cited a mere 15 percent decline. “Overall, the sales have dropped at least 20 percent,” Khan said. He said people prefer to stay at home in the present security climate. “People are also avoiding attending marriage ceremonies. This further reduces the fuel consumption,” he added.

All Pakistan CNG Association Chairman Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha confirmed the drop in CNG sales. He said that the information available to him revealed that CNG sales in some parts of the country had dropped by almost 50 percent. “The decline in cities such as Lahore is particularly troubling, as APCA members in the city have said their sales have dropped by around 30 percent,” he added.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg13_3