Lahore Ring Road is the major backbone of Lahore and helps in reducing travel duration and traffic congestion in the city. With growing traffic in the city, it was advised to expand the Ring Road further in order to complete it as soon as possible. The new (southern) loop of the Ring Road will connect Raiwind Road with Multan Road. This connection will further reduce travel time and traffic congestion. The area also has many industrial units in the vicinity and the Ring Road will accommodate heavy traffic by providing an alternative route.

The approval for the third southern loop of the Ring Road was given in the meeting between the Chief Minister of Punjab, Usman Buzdar, and Lahore Ring Road Authority (LRRA). This meeting also had Commissioner Lahore, Chief Secretary Punjab and Chairman of Planning and Development. This expansion will be 8 km in length and will be of six lanes. It will be a wide road that can take a significant amount of traffic load. This expansion will be completed by virtue of a public-private sector partnership. An agreement will also be signed in the second week of June between the National Logistic Cell (NLC) and LRRA. This expansion project is scheduled to be completed in a year. NLC will also be given the authority to operate the third loop in the future.

Furthermore, the Chief Minister of Punjab has also intimated authorities to complete the fourth loop of the southern leg of Lahore Ring Road. This loop will connect Multan Road to Motorway (M3). The Ring Road project will be completed once the fourth loop is built. The total stretch of the Ring Road will be 90 km. In big metropolitan areas, Ring Roads also facilitate traffic that does not intend to enter the urban areas and provide it with a bypass route. This also solves the traffic congestion problem.

Recently, there is a huge dip in the price of petrol and other petroleum products across the globe. Currently, petrol pumps, especially in Lahore, are limiting the amount of petrol they are giving to customers or not giving petrol at all in some cases. Hi-Octane is available at fuel stations without any interruption. Some retailers are also limiting the provision of fuel to PKR 500 to 1000 to each vehicle in certain parts of the country. The major shortage is of regular petrol also known as motor gasoline in some parts of the world.

On the part of OMCs, they were unable to import fuel at the right time. This delay in imports has created a shortage. Moreover, as per license terms, OMCs also failed to keep an optimal level of fuel at their depots nationwide. In this situation where there is an anticipation of lower supply, panic buying can ensue that can put further pressure on limited supplies. The current shortage will remain for at least 10 days as OMCs need time to import oil and fill up their reserves. OMCs halted lifting up of petrol from local refineries and abroad in anticipation of falling prices to avoid inventory losses.

Before the supply chain of petroleum products improves, it will take a few days for a shortage of supply in the country. OMCs have also reportedly halted lifted petroleum products from local oil refineries. the All Pakistan Petroleum Retailers Association (APPRA) has asked the state authorities to investigate the shortage of supply of petroleum products and fix any gaps as soon as possible. According to the APPRA, all OMCs, except PSO, have delayed the import of oil which is a clear violation of license terms that require them to maintain a certain level of stock.

The delay in the import of petroleum products has also robbed the government of billions of rupees. In the current situation, the OMCs have significantly reduced the supply of petroleum products to filling stations. This has created a shortage and the filling stations cannot effectively meet the demands of the customers. There are concerns that this shortage can be troubling for the transportation sector. This will also result in an increase in fares. Retailers already faced losses in the time of lockdown. A further shortage of fuel can inflict more losses upon them. Therefore, petroleum products must be imported as soon as possible to stop fuel shortage.

A new pricing formula can solve this problem. This new formula will be applicable to oil marketing companies, oil refineries, and retailers owning the filling stations. On the other hand, PSO has adequate reserves to meet the demand of its customers nationwide. Fuel is available at PSO retailers nationwide and PSO has also imported petroleum products recently in teh vicinity of 58,000 MT. There will be more shipments during this month as well.

Recently MG Motor’s HS SUV has been spotted in Pakistan doing test rounds that is owned by Javed Afridi. Most interestingly, the British car manufacturer is looking to launch locally manufactured electric vehicles in Pakistan. Morris Garages (MG) Motor UK Limited is a British automotive company that is now owned by Shanghai-based state-owned automotive SAIC Motor. JW Auto Park signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the British carmaker to bring electric vehicles in Pakistan. There has also been news that the Chinese president will be inaugurating its manufacturing plant in Pakistan during his visit to the country later year. Have a look at the photos of MG HS below:

Javed Afridi recently posted the video of MG electric vehicles including MG ZS EV and MG E-Motion that are expected to make their way to the local industry. It is certainly an exciting element for auto enthusiasts in the country. See below for the videos:

https://web.facebook.com/JAfridiofficial/videos/548181392724471/

https://web.facebook.com/JAfridiofficial/videos/2558302564271787/

These vehicles will be direct competitors of KIA Sportage that has already captured the local market in a very short time. Undoubtedly, these upcoming prospects from MG Motor will be the luxurious option for the customers in the local market. However, the point of concern would be its price tag when the company introduces it in the local auto sector. These vehicles are expected to cost somewhere around 4.5 million to 5.5 million which is a highly competitive price considering the existing options in the local market. But the unstable economic conditions in the country might force the automaker to reconsider the price tag for its vehicles.MG HS that is owned by Javed Afridi, is a compact crossover SUV manufactured by the Chinese automaker under the MG brand. The vehicle was launched back in 2018 at the Beijing Auto Show.

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