The crisis of the butane gas cylinders shortage was escalated yesterday in a number of provinces. In Dakahlia, a number of people have been injured in queues to get butane gas cylinders. In Sharqia, a gas cylinder is sold for LE 20. On the other hand, the shortage of 80-octane petrol continued in many provinces. In Dakahlia, clashes have broken out among people and two people have been injured and taken to Mansoura hospital.
In Sharqia, some 500 have gathered before a warehouse of butane gas cylinders in protest against the shortage. For his part, the Ministry of Social Solidarity Undersecretary Mohamed Shahin promised to end the crisis this week. In Beni Suef, people stressed that getting a butane gas cylinder has become a sort of imagination. Director of the control department Ahmed Othman said Beni Suef did not receive its quota of butane gas.
For its part, Petrogas Company said it increased distributor quotas of cylinders to face the increase in consumption in winter, pointing out that the daily in consumption is about 2.1 million cylinders.
Minister of Petroleum Sameh Fahmi has asked the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and heads of oil and marketing companies to adopt short and long term plans to increase outlets of marketing petrol, especially 80-octane petrol, to help people and put an end to the phenomenon of cars accumulating before stations. A study is underway to establish 1000 new gas stations nationwide during the coming five years.
During his meeting with leaders of the oil sector yesterday, Fahmi stressed the importance of tightening control over gas stations to prevent manipulations.
