Business desk
ISLAMABAD: Several fuel pumps are operating across the country without licences or due authorization or selling petroleum products other than what they were allowed.
These fuel stations are also involved in the hoarding of petroleum products.
This was disclosed in the audit reports for accounts of the Petroleum Division and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) for the fiscal year 2021-22.
According to a private television channel report Sunday, it showed that illegal and unauthorized fuel pumps are involved in selling unrefined fuel, which has been smuggled from places such as Iran.
The report said that OGRA is bound to ensure that oil marketing companies (OMCs) are not involved in giving their products to fuel pumps operated by other OMCs.
For this purpose, a proper tracking system was set up to point out where a tanker decanted and that a heavy fine would have to be paid in case of violating the decanting regulations.
The auditor general in the report raised questions over the mechanism that ensures standards of fuel transporting/supplying tankers and the performance of Ogra’s monitoring and enforcement department.
During the audit of OGRA for the FY 2020-21, it was discovered that the lease of some 206 petroleum outlets/fuel pumps of certain OMCs had expired. However, these facilities continued to sell petroleum products.
“Either the OMCs were providing petroleum products to illegal outlets or the outlets were selling smuggled products,” the audit report observed.
Moreover, the audit report noted that Ogra failed to initiate any punitive action against these outlets, nor did it take up the matter with the relevant district authorities to close these fuel pumps. When the matter was reported to Ogra in January 2022, the authority retorted that the auditor general had no jurisdiction to review these matters. The auditory general found this stance of the authority contrary to constitutional provisions. Accordingly, the matter was taken up with the Cabinet Division by the Auditor General of Pakistan.
