LPG still sells at Rs550-600 a kilo as official price gap persists

LPG is still being sold at Rs550 to Rs600 per kilogram across the country, with the gap between the official rate and the market price holding at about Rs300 per kilogram, according to UrduPoint and the Express News.

No reduction in LPG prices has reached consumers, and both outlets reported that the difference between the notified rate and what buyers actually pay has not narrowed.

The LPG Importers Association has told the government it expects prices to rise further in November and supply to be affected, citing security concerns and the closure of border routes. According to the association, deliveries through the Taftan border crossing from Iran are continuing, but the movement of LPG bowsers through Balochistan has slowed sharply because of security concerns. A bowser that used to complete the journey in three to four days now takes 10 to 12 days, the Express News reported, and the delay is being exploited by some sellers charging prices of their own choosing.

Sheikh Mukarram Waheed, chairman of the LPG Importers Association, said the government had been warned about the security and supply risks for several months. He said the issues were raised in talks with OGRA officials and also in writing, but no progress had been made. He demanded that the government provide full security for LPG transportation.

The LPG Distributors Association also objected to raids by OGRA and Civil Defence, holding a two-day symbolic strike to press its concerns. The association said action should be taken against plant owners rather than retailers, asking how shopkeepers supplied with expensive gas could sell it cheap, and complaining that fines are imposed on one side while LPG pumps are seized on the other.

Rickshaw drivers have been hit directly. Adnan Sami Khan, a rickshaw driver who spoke to Express News, said he can no longer afford a full kilogram of LPG at a time and buys gas worth Rs200 or Rs300, spending most of his earnings on fuel. He said traffic police fine him thousands of rupees every day and that earning two meals a day has become difficult. He added that higher LPG prices have pushed up the cost of other goods as well.

According to the Express News, OGRA and Ministry of Petroleum officials have so far not brought forward effective measures to bring the situation under control. UrduPoint carried the same account, linking the price gap to security concerns and delays in transportation.