The scarcity of subsidised Pertalite fuel at a number of service\nstations (SPBU) in Klungkung Regency, Bali, has once again drawn the ire\nof residents. The outages are reportedly frequent during certain hours,\neven though stock is considered to be readily available. Residents\nsuspect an unusual distribution pattern behind the phenomenon.<\/p>\n
In the community, this situation has long been referred to as \u2018ghost\ntanks\u2019. However, SPBU management denies any special practice, stating\nthat the shortages occur due to operational factors, ranging from staff\nrest periods to the recharging of Electronic Data Capture devices.<\/p>\n
Based on observations, three SPBUs in the Klungkung and Dawan\nsub-districts experienced outages at specific hours in recent days.\nThese include SPBU Besang on Jalan Ngurah Rai, Central Semarapura,\nKlungkung District; SPBU Siku on Jalan Rama, Semarapura Kangin; and SPBU\nBatu Tabih on Jalan Raya Batu Tabih, Takmung Village, Banjarangkan\nDistrict.<\/p>\n
At SPBU Besang, outages could occur at different times, from morning\nto afternoon and evening. An information board stating \u2018sorry, fuel has\nnot arrived\u2019 was seen displayed when fuel was unavailable. A similar\nsituation also occurred at the other two stations.<\/p>\n
A local resident, Kadek Suardana, who works as an online motorcycle\ntaxi driver, expressed puzzlement over the conditions. According to him,\nPertalite is not truly depleted but is frequently not distributed to the\ngeneral public at specific times. He said the community has long known\nthis phenomenon by the term \u2018ghost tank\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018We are often defeated by that ghost tank. It is already an open\nsecret. If that goes in, that is it, we won\u2019t get any share,\u2019 Suardana\nexplained.<\/p>\n
He noted that the situation forces some residents to turn to\nretailers or Pertashops. However, he chooses to buy Pertamax when\nPertalite is unavailable, even though he must dig deeper into his\npocket. He mentioned the price of Pertamax has now risen from Rp 12,300\nper litre to Rp 16,250 per litre.<\/p>\n
Suardana also assessed that the practice of purchasing fuel\nrepeatedly using motorcycles makes distribution difficult to supervise.\n\u2018A car is clearly visible. This one can go back and forth many times.\nMany people already know about this. We can compare it with SPBUs that\nfirmly reject retailers, they are definitely smooth, like the one in\nNegari. Here, only the prohibition sign is clearly displayed,\u2019 he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Responding to the allegations, administrative officer Wayan Alit of\nSPBU Besang, owned by CV Dharma Migas Sejahtera, insisted there is no\norchestrated arrangement in fuel distribution. He stated that outages\noccur due to technical operational factors.<\/p>\n
\u2018The stock availability here is very smooth. If it is empty,\nsometimes it is during staff rest hours, and the EDC also needs to be\nrested because it is hot and needs to recharge. So indeed we never run\nout of fuel,\u2019 Alit said.<\/p>\n
According to him, the EDC recharging process takes about 15 to 30\nminutes, so the SPBU appears temporarily non-operational. \u2018So the\nemptiness is not deliberate. It is because the EDC battery runs out. It\nneeds to be charged first,\u2019 he clarified.<\/p>\n
He also assured that service remains normal despite the increase in\nnon-subsidised fuel prices, and no long queues have formed at the\nstation yet. \u2018The price increase starts today. So it is still smooth.\nThere are still Pertamax buyers. I don\u2019t know, maybe some don\u2019t yet know\nthe price has gone up,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Head of Trade at the Klungkung Cooperative, SME,\nIndustry and Trade Office, I Dewa Gede Agung Julia Pramana, stated that\nhis office has no authority over the supervision of fuel distribution.\nAccording to him, the local government\u2019s role is limited to stock\nmonitoring. \u2018It is only limited to monitoring stock. We are afraid of\nmaking a wrong comment, because we don\u2019t have the authority there,\u2019 he\nexplained.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/subsidised-fuel-pertalite-often-scarce-in-klungkung-locals-blame-ghost-tanks-1781096157", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }