Kupang people fear fuel crisis

Kupang people fear fuel crisis

Antara, Kupang

Fearing a fuel shortage and subsequent soaring prices, residents
packed gasoline stations in East Nusa Tenggara town of Kupang on
Tuesday with long lines of vehicles snaking out of gasoline
stations in the city center.

State oil company Pertamina announced earlier that the premium
gasoline supply would only be sufficient for the next five days.

Soon, cars and motorcycles as well as people coming in with
jerrycans started to wait in line at gasoline stations in Kelapa
Lima and Oebufu areas.

A driver of a public minivan, Marthen Lado, complained that
the gas station's staff still served those coming in with
jerrycans although a notice at the gas station clearly said: "We
do not sell gasoline in jerrycans or containers".

"I've been waiting in line for three hours but we're ignored,"
he said.

He hoped the police would take action against those buying
gasoline with jerrycans out of the suspicion that they were
retailers who would hoard the gasoline and then profit by selling
it at a high price once the supply was finished.

"If they're not stopped, gasoline can reach Rp 10,000 per
liter like what happened in July," Marthen said.

The city was hit by a fuel crisis last month causing the price
of gasoline to escalate to Rp 15,000 per liter.

A gasoline station staff in Kelapa Lima said that he served
customers carrying jerrycans since they had a permit to purchase
the gasoline from the subdistrict office. "If they don't have the
permit, we don't serve them," said the man, who requested not to
be named.

Head of the Pertamina office in Kupang, Adi Nugroho, said
earlier that the supply of premium gasoline would only be enough
for the next five days.

The company expects to receive 4,000 kiloliters of premium
gasoline and 3,000 kiloliters of diesel fuel on Aug. 19.

He said there was no need for customers to panic otherwise
people would think there was a fuel crisis.