Though recent cuts in fuel prices had brought a huge respite to the people in Jammu & Kashmir like people in rest of the country but the shortage of fuel in mid tourist season is unprecedentedly reducing the intensity of traffic movement in mid tourist season and ahead of the commencement of annual amaranth yatra in Jammu & Kashmir. Making diesel available without reducing the intensity of shortage of petrol at fuel stations is unlikely to bring any respite to the people of Jammu & Kashmir like the people of several states and union territories of the country. The fuel supply would prove more detrimental for the people of Jammu & Kashmir as this is not only the mid tourist season but this is also very crucial time for agriculture and horticulture activities in both Kashmir valley and Jammu division. Though diesel availability won’t disturb the use of tractors and tillers for agriculture and horticulture activities and the movement of local passenger and commercial vehicles but shortage of petrol is unprecedentedly reducing the movement of tourist cabs ferrying tourists from Srinagar to top tourist destinations likely Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Sonamarg and other such tourist places. Never forget that most of the tourist cabs are run on petrol but not diesel . What matters the most is the fact the shortage of petrol reducing unprecedentedly the movement of private cars could also reduce the attendance of employees in government offices as most of the employees prefer to use petrol run cars instead of diesel run cars for their personal conveniences at work places. Though shortage of petrol and diesel is being attributed to Russia-Ukrain war but reports about some oil companies reducing the supply quota to fuel stations due to losses suffered by them after cut in the fuel prices is an issue which demands immediate attention and intervention of the central government’s Ministry of petroleum and natural gas.
Since the Government has refuted the reports about any shortage of petrol and diesel in Jammu & Kashmir the action against the operators of local fuel stations denying the supply of petrol and diesel has become indispensable. The onus of regularising the supply of diesel and petrol for the purposes of resolving artificial scarcity at local fuel stations undeniably lies on Food , Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department.
Irrefutable fact is that the central government’s ministry of petroleum and natural gas has an institutional and administrative obligation not only to regulate the fuel prices but also to regulate the fuel supply at the fuel stations. Never forget that like all state and UT Governments the J&K Government too has an institutional and administrative obligation to regulate both the prices of petrol and as well as supply of petrol and diesel at local fuel stations through it’s Food , Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department across Jammu & Kashmir. What matters the most is the action against hoarding and black marketing of petrol and diesel by the operators of local fuel stations in Jammu & Kashmir. Since the Government has refuted the reports about any shortage of petrol and diesel in Jammu & Kashmir the action against the operators of local fuel stations denying the supply of petrol and diesel has become indispensable. The onus of regularising the supply of diesel and petrol for the purposes of resolving artificial scarcity at local fuel stations undeniably lies on Food , Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs (FCS&CA) department.
