NORTH SINAI, Egypt: Citizens in Sheikh Zowayed town in North Sinai protested yesterday outside the gas cylinder filling station. They cut off the road, demanding to increase monitoring to prevent the smuggling of gas cylinders to the Gaza Strip through black market tunnels. They also demanded to stop the high prices of the gas cylinders. Demonstrators said there is a mafia that smuggles gas cylinders to Gaza. They said the smuggling effects their rights as citizens to fill their gas cylinders because of how crowded the filling stations get. The general supply manager, Rahsad About Hamda, said there is not a gas crisis in the governorate. He said the governorate's daily share arrives regularly and it is enough for citizens' consumption. He aded that the smudging of gas cylinders is done by weak people, and is what affects the governorate's share of gas. About Hamda also said new mechanisms will be used to curb the smuggling of gas through not filing large numbers of gas cylinders, as some people use this to smuggle or trade. He said the governorate will coordinate with the concerned partied to monitor gas smuggling operations.
