CAIRO - In the Delta governorate of Daqahlia, motorists using petrol of the Octane 80 quality do not get their supply from petrol stations but from shops! This cheap petrol (less than one Egyptian pound per litre) has been in short supply for about eight months now, creating a thriving black market in some governorates away from official supervision. The price of fuel in these shops is reported to be five times its normal rate and yet would-be purchasers stand in queues to get their needs. While several stations in Mansoura, the capital of Daqahlia, run out of Octane 80 petrol in a matter of hours, there are, for instance, 50 shops in villages, which come under the administration of the town of Nabaroh in the same governorate, that sell petrol in jerrycans. Supply sources in the governorate said, on condition of anonymity, that the shortage is partially attributable to the malpractices of black market dealers. “Large quantities are bought from petrol stations in plastic jerrycans and sold in small shops in stark violation of laws and regulations”, the sources said. According to official estimates there is about a 30 per cent shortage in the supply to meet the actual demand. Abdullah el-Faramawi a citizen from Nabaroh is apprehensive where the latent danger is concerned. “The presence of these shops within residential areas poses a high risk, as their conditions are unsafe and they are not licensed by the Industrial Safety Department in the first place”, he told Al-Ahram newspaper. Although petrol stations have been instructed not to sell petrol in containers to customers, violations are still going on which prompt regular crackdown campaigns to stop the malpractice, added el-Faramawi. Meanwhile, in the southern governorate of Assiut the long queues of jerrycan carriers extending outside petrol stations are causing traffic jams in surrounding streets. Taxi drivers, who rely to a great extent on Octane 80, complain that their business has been detrimentally affected. While some of them have had to shift to more expensive petrol such as Octane 90, officially priced at LE l.75 per litre, others are wasting a lot of their time in long lines of cars queueing to get a few litres of Octane 80. Assiut, where the taxi fares are normally lower than those in the capital, is today witnessing daily skirmishes between drivers and passengers owing to an abrupt increase in the fare related to the growing shortage. Meanwhile, Magdi Selim, Ministry of Supply Undersecretary in the governorate, held the motor fuel sector responsible for the crisis. He explained that petrol stations in Assiut are not getting the quota they need from the agencies. However, he highlighted efforts exerted by the supply department to manage the crisis. “Inspectors have been assigned to monitor the sale of petrol in stations and to guide motorists to stations that have an abundant supply”, he told the paper.
