The Petroleum Ministry again denied responsibility for the ongoing fuel crisis on Monday. The Petroleum Ministry said it is working at full capacity to provide the fuel needed for the local market. Hani Dahi, head of the General Petroleum Authority, said the ministry does not shoulder the responsibility for fuel shortage alone, contending that the ministry and armed forces own under 16 percent of gas stations, while the rest are owned by other state bodies or are privately owned. A division within the Chamber of Commerce which has been following the crisis announced that the gas and diesel shortage has eased in Cairo and some governorates, but continues in others. The Social Solidarity and Domestic Trade Ministry has instructed its inspectors to intensify campaigns against gas stations selling fuel to black market suppliers. Giza Governor Ali Abdel Rahman ordered that he be notified of the quantities of fuel delivered to gas stations and when they were provided so that he could determine which gas stations were not selling the gas they receive to the public. Seven people were injured in fights outside gas stations as the fuel shortage continued in Cairo and other governorates on Monday. Cars queuing outside gas stations caused traffic jams in major cities around the country. In Daqahlia Governorate, four people were injured on the Mansoura-Tanta highway and three were injured in Manzala when fights broke out in front of gas stations. Police also apprehended a tuk tuk driver carrying 19 cans of fuel to sell to consumers at increased prices. Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
