Petrol shortages continue to plague drivers

Petrol continues to remain unavailable at Enoc and Eppco stations across Sharjah for the third week running. Motorists in Sharjah said that although they noticed some Emarat petrol stations selling petrol again, the Enoc/Eppco petrol stations remain closed. Abdul Majeed Zuhair, a resident of Yarmook, said that he cannot stand the situation anymore because he is tired of waiting in line for more than 30 minutes at the Adnoc petrol station on the Sharjah airport road. "The situation really needs to be improved because it is very troublesome to waste so much time waiting in line. The Eppco petrol stations are still dry. My friends told me that the Emarat petrol station near Home Centre on University City Road started selling petrol but that is out of my way," said Zuhair. Mohammad Al Qadi, another resident, said the situation has not changed at all and although he did not see any vehicles left abandoned by the side of the road, the problem continues. "I stopped filling my car in Sharjah and prefer to have it done in Dubai while on my way to work. This problem is getting ridiculous and out of control, and it is about time the authorities did something to solve it." Some stations have opened, but the majority remain closed despite a 48-hour deadline given by the Sharjah Executive Council last Wednesday to provide an explanation and resolution of the shortage. When contacted Khalid Hadi, spokesperson for the Enoc Group, the parent company of Enoc and Eppco, did not respond. The ostensible reason given by Enoc for the closure of 82 petrol stations across Sharjah and the northern emirates has been due to maintenance and upgrading. From / Gulf News