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| Kathmandu, Saturday March 22, 2003 Chaitra 08, 2059. |
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Artificial scarcity
Yesterday, my brother went to buy kerosene but
he was given only two liters. I was surprised. But my brother explained that it was due to
the US-led war on Iraq. Panic-stricken, I lost no time to rush to a petrol pump station. A
long queue for petrol could be seen. While waiting in a queue, one man with a cap and no
slippers said, "You don’t know gentleman, America and Iraq are at war."
Well, that was the cause of fear, which
compelled people like us to stand in a queue, but the pump man denied to give more than
five liters. For that five liters, people tussled and quarreled for more than half an
hour. But no one said that the five liters kerosene would last for hardly five days. And
what’s after five days?
Next day, when I was on my way to college, I
found many petrol pump stations with a long queue. Having seen such queues everywhere, I
thought whether the government is serious about checking this artificial scarcity.
Hoarding mentality has already gripped the market. And there are also rumours of price
hike of petroleum products. Do something, before it’s too late.
Anubhav Nepal
Lokanthali-16, Bhaktpur |
