Meeting reviews fuel relief payments

Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik on Thursday chaired a meeting to review payments under the Prime Minister's Fuel Relief Scheme as well as supply chain, transportation and logistics arrangements to ensure uninterrupted availability of petroleum products across the country. The minister appreciated the petroleum dealers' associations for their cooperation and support for the fuel relief scheme. Ali Pervaiz said that the government was taking all necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies in case of any law and order situation or road closures. He directed all relevant stakeholders to make advance arrangements and ensure smooth movement of petroleum products. The meeting was attended by the representatives of Pakistan Railways, Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC), oil marketing companies, Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association, All Pakistan Petrol Pump Owners Association and other relevant officials. Additional secretary railways assured the meeting that Pakistan Railways would make maximum number of train bogies available for transportation of high-speed diesel (HSD), particularly to maintain supplies in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) during any disruption to road transportation. The petroleum minister directed Pakistan State Oil (PSO) to make advance arrangements for adequate fuel availability at its depots. PSO told the meeting that, anticipating possible disruptions, additional stocks had already been arranged at critical depots for seamless petroleum supplies. An Ogra representative revealed that a dedicated control room had been established for crisis management and coordination to ensure continued availability of petroleum products at retail outlets. The federal minister also gave directives that steps be taken for uninterrupted crude and petroleum product supply to Attock Refinery to avoid any shutdown arising from logistical constraints. While reviewing the payment mechanism under the relief programme, the meeting was informed that out of approximately 10,000+ petrol filling stations, payments had been made to over 8,500 pumps by Thursday, with the number increasing every day. The minister emphasised that minor issues, including account number mismatches, must be resolved immediately so that payments to remaining filling stations were processed without delay and the public continued to receive relief under the scheme. Ali Pervaiz directed Ogra to take action against any petrol pumps found denying fuel relief to eligible customers. Speaking at the meeting, Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association Chairman Malik Khuda Bakhsh said that the scheme was working successfully and assured the government of the association's continued support. He said that dealers were cooperating with the government in implementation of the initiative. OCAC Chairman Nawed Tanwir Abbasi said that the scheme was working successfully and termed it a good initiative aimed at providing relief to the public. The petroleum minister reiterated that close coordination among all stakeholders was essential for smooth fuel supplies and effective implementation of the fuel relief scheme. According to a statement, a meeting of the National Steering Committee on Fuel Subsidy was held under the chairmanship of Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema to review implementation of the PM Fuel Relief Scheme. The committee was informed that registrations under the scheme had crossed 5 million and 3.7 million fuel tokens had been redeemed at petrol stations across the country. Punjab alone made 400,000 registrations on Wednesday following an intensified awareness campaign. The State Bank of Pakistan reported that of the 43,036 claims received from petrol stations, 41,744 were settled, amounting to Rs1.350 billion, with a settlement rate of 97%. Taking note of the difficulties faced by three-wheeler and loader rickshaw operators in registering under the scheme, the chair directed that the Punjab Excise Department engage rickshaw associations directly, identify the barriers to registration and open a dedicated registration window. A complaint window will also be established at the provincial excise offices so that unresolved vehicle registration queries were routed for case-by-case resolution. The committee was informed that an automated complaint resolution mechanism was operational and complaints were routed directly to deputy commissioners for field enforcement, to the Excise Dept for vehicle data correction, to Ogra for matters concerning petrol stations and to the Pakistan Digital Authority for technical issues. The chair called for constituting a working committee, headed by Ogra chairman, with the Department of Explosives and the Pakistan Digital Authority, to harmonise petrol station records.