EGYPT'S Prosecutor General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud Thursday ordered urgent trial for those who monopolise butane cylinders as a shortage of this staple is getting worse across the nation. "Exploiting people's needs and hiking up the prices of butane cylinders through monopoly and other ways could harm society and lead to new types of crime. Therefore, the butane monopolisers should stand urgent trial and get tough punishment," Mahmoud said. He added that the nation's butane crisis could be an artificial one, which is fuelled by the sellers' greed and the citizens' complacency. Two people died and eight others were injured in two governorates on Wednesday while fighting to get the heavily subsidised butane cylinders, whose prices have soared to LE60 in some areas. "Trying to jump on a truck loaded with butane gas cylinders, two people fell to their death in the Sixth of October Governorate as eight people used electric shock weapons against some others during the fight over getting gas cylinders," a security officials said, adding that four of them had been arrested. In Giza, Helwan, Daqhalia and Qalubia governorates disputes over getting the cylinders turned bloody as dozens were injured. Government outlets have run out of the cylinders, which are subsidised by the Government costing five times the customer price, defined by the Government as LE3. Government market inspectors have indicted hundreds of opportunists over black market deals in subsidised butane gas and seized hundreds of cylinders, the police explained. The inspectors have registered thousands of violations, ranging from overcharging for butane gas to producing substandard cylinders, they added. Cabinet ministers, said on wednesday there would be a new way to distribute the cylinders, stressing that more were being added to the 1.2 million cylinders distributed daily. Minister of Social Solidarity Ali Mesilhi, whose department is responsible for inspecting and distributing the subsidised commodity, urged the public to report any violations committed by traders and distributors who raise prices. "I call on all citizens not to pay more than LE3 for a cylinder. I urge them to report any violations, here is my personal [mobile] phone No. 012/2116923. You can contact me at any time," Mesilhi told a TV talk show Wednesday night. Mesilhi proposed increasing the supply of cylinders by 25 per cent until the end of March, attributing the shortage to the dire weather conditions that have hindered the transport of butane gas supplies from Egypt's ports.
