- Petroleum dealers agree to sell fuel under govt scheme.
- PPDA says talks with govt team remain successful.
- SMS charges for fuel subsidy registration waived.
KARACHI: Petroleum dealers have started implementing the government’s fuel relief package following successful negotiations between the two sides, confirmed the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) on Thursday.
A day earlier, the petroleum dealers had refused to sell petrol under the government’s newly launched Rs100-per-litre relief scheme for motorcyclists, rickshaw owners and drivers of vehicles up to 800cc, citing concerns over its implementation mechanism and financial burden.
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, PPDA Vice Chairman Anwar Kamal had said the dealers were not consulted while preparing the scheme, making the current mechanism difficult to implement.
“We have reservations about the mechanism of the relief scheme,” he had added. Kamal had suggested that relief should be provided to consumers directly through an easy and straightforward mechanism.
Kamal was of the view that dealers’ capital was already affected by inflation, while billions of rupees owed by oil marketing companies were pending.
“Putting the financial burden of the relief scheme on dealers is not workable,” he had said. The association had also demanded an increase in dealers’ margins.
“How will the government pay dealers the amount for cheaper petrol?” Kamal had questioned, adding that dealers had been contacting the government for the past three days but had received no response.
SMS charges for fuel subsidy registration waived
Earlier in the day, the SMS for registration in the petrol subsidy scheme has been made completely free of cost on the directions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
According to a post shared by the Prime Minister’s Office on X, the premier has announced further facilitation for low- and middle-income groups under the fuel subsidy scheme.
Relief under the Prime Minister Fuel Subsidy Scheme is being extended to people across the country, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
To register, applicants need to send an SMS by typing REG, followed by a space, their CNIC number, vehicle number plate, the first letter of the province where the vehicle is registered, and the vehicle registration date to 9771.
The federal government on September 13 launched a special relief scheme providing Rs100 per litre discount on petrol for motorcyclists, rickshaw owners and drivers of vehicles up to 800cc, as the government moved to cushion the public from rising fuel prices driven by tensions in the Middle East.
Announcing the scheme, PM Shehbaz had said the government was fully aware of the burden rising oil prices had placed on the public and that the people would not be left alone in these difficult times.
“We are launching a special scheme to reduce the burden of rising fuel prices on those using motorcycles, rickshaws, Chingchis and small vehicles,” he had said.
Under the relief scheme, owners and users of motorcycles, rickshaws and other two- and three-wheeled vehicles will receive Rs100 per litre relief on up to 20 litres of petrol per month. Owners of small vehicles up to 800cc engine capacity will receive Rs100 per litre relief on up to 30 litres of petrol per month.
