Dissolve Ogra, recommends inquiry commission on petrol crisis
April 21, 2021 01:59 AM
The inquiry commission on the petrol crisis last year released the report terming the mess a result of hoarding.
The report blamed the crisis on the petroleum division and oil marketing companies. It added Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) neglected its basic responsibilities providing room to the mafia.
Hoarding had created a petrol crisis in the country and turned an opportunity amid reduced global prices into a crisis, it said adding that imports were banned while global prices were falling, and every illegal activity was treated as normal.
The report recommended dissolving OGRA through an act while taking action against the secretary petroleum division, DG Oil and Imran Abro. It said that Imran Abro and his staff continued to carry out the orders of the higher-ups while oil marketing companies were involved in stockpiling.
Illegal petrol pumps were set up on large scale in the last decade but Ogra failed to stop them, findings said, adding that the criminal negligence of not storing oil for 20 days cannot be ignored. OGRA’s inability to ensure companies stock oil for 20 days was a failure of the authority, it added.
The report also recommended fixing the prices of petroleum products on a monthly basis instead of a bi-monthly basis, setting up a monitoring cell in the petroleum division and obtaining stock data from the companies.