Diesel fuel shortage worsens in the capital

JAKARTA (JP): A diesel shortage continued to hit gas stations in the capital on Friday, resulting in long queues of vehicles waiting to fill up their tanks.

Hundreds of trucks, buses, vans and other diesel vehicles packed many gas stations around the city and the greater Jakarta area, creating traffic jams in their vicinities.

Many public transportation vehicles have been unable to operate over the past few days.

Several gas stations had already run out of diesel before noon, including the ones on Jl. Kramat Raya, Jl. Penjernihan and Jl. Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta.

In South Jakarta, six stations on Jl. Arteri Sejajar Fatmawati, Jl. Lingkar Selatan, Jl. Kemandoran, Jl. Arteri Pondok Pinang, Jl. Tanjung Barat and Jl. Kahfi II Srengseng Sawah had also run out of diesel by 11 a.m.

Eleven other gas stations all over West Jakarta, North Jakarta and East Jakarta found themselves in the same position.

A gas station in Kelapa Dua, West Jakarta, had even stopped selling diesel less than two hours after it opened for business in the morning.

"We opened the station at 5.30 a.m. But by 7 a.m., the diesel had run out," said a gas station attendant as reported by SCTV on Friday.

The attendant said that the usual diesel supply of 32 tons a day had been reduced by half by the state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina.

Similar conditions prevailed at a gas station on Jl. Pejompongan, Central Jakarta.

An attendant at the gas station, Junhaniko, said that Pertamina had reduced its diesel supply since Monday to only 16 tons compared to the usual 24 tons to 36 tons per day.

"We checked with Pertamina and they said that they had deliberately reduced the supply as they were suffering losses because factories were cheating them," he told The Jakarta Post.

According to Pertamina, many industrial customers were not taking up in full the diesel allocations set aside for them by the company and that it was suspected that such industrial users are buying subsidized diesel fuel from gas stations.

Ali, a chauffeur who was driving a Panther van said that he had visited five gas stations before finally coming to Pejompongan.

"I went to Jl. Panjang, Daan Mogot and Kebayoran Lama ... even Cikarang in Bekasi. They were all out of supplies. I've been going through this since Wednesday," he said.

The driver of a truck said jokingly, "It feels like I've been to hundreds of gas stations so far."

Sunarto, an automobile owner, said that he had brought some jerrycans with him to buy additional diesel but the gas station refused to fill them.

"They said it's OK if I want to fill up my tank, but nothing more than that," he said, adding that he hoped the government and Pertamina would quickly overcome the problem.

As of 1 p.m., there was still some diesel left in Pejompongan but no sign of when a new delivery would arrive.

Five officers from the nearby Tanah Abang police station were seen directing traffic.

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Didi Widayadi said on Friday that National Police headquarters would station police officers at a number of gas stations in Jakarta, and also nationwide, to monitor the distribution of fuel to the general public.

Didi said the National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro had also instructed police chiefs nationwide to take the strictest measures against individuals and parties who were caught hoarding fuel, particularly diesel fuel.

"Buying diesel by the drum is forbidden. The strictest action will be taken against anybody caught doing so, or any company caught doing so," he asserted. (hdn/jun/ylt)