ULAN BATOR, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Although restrictions on gasoline purchases and the alternating-day system based on vehicle license plates were lifted over the weekend, Mongolia's fuel crisis has continued, with drivers still facing long queues and disruptions in gasoline supplies.
Starting Aug. 4, fuel stations across Mongolia began alternating the days on which they sold gasoline based on whether vehicles had even- or odd-numbered license plates, following a government decision. Gasoline purchases were also limited to 50,000 Mongolian tugriks (about 13.8 U.S. dollars) per transaction.
Although the restrictions ended over the weekend and fuel supplies improved, many fuel stations are still not operating continuously as of Monday, leaving drivers waiting in line for hours and, in some cases, overnight to buy gasoline.
"I started waiting in line at 8 a.m. and was finally able to buy gasoline after waiting for about nine hours. The fuel crisis is having a very negative impact on people's daily lives," said Erdenekhuu Sarantuya, a driver from Bayanzurkh district of the capital Ulan Bator.
Drivers have said many fuel stations were not operating 24 hours a day and were using only one fuel pump instead of all available pumps, further exacerbating the long queues and making it more difficult for drivers to obtain gasoline.
"We are supporting fuel importers in every possible way, including tax relief, customs and transportation assistance, and preferential loans. However, some fuel importers have gasoline in stock but are not selling it, are not operating around the clock, or are dispensing gasoline from only one pump, creating extremely long queues and frustrating the public," said Gongor Damdinnyam, Mongolia's minister of industry and mineral resources.
He warned that fuel importers that fail to operate under special arrangements during the crisis and fulfill their contractual obligations to serve the public could have their licenses revoked.
Meanwhile, the average retail price of AI-92, the most widely used type of gasoline in Mongolia, rose by 200 Mongolian tugriks per liter on Saturday to 3,040 tugriks per liter.
The government is working to resolve fuel-related problems nationwide this week, according to the country's Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources.
It is said that the ongoing fuel shortage is linked to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and conflicts in the Middle East, which have contributed to instability in global energy markets and could affect fuel supplies.
Mongolia currently has no oil refinery and is entirely dependent on imported fuel, with more than 95 percent of its fuel imports coming from Russia, according to official data. (1 Mongolian tugrik equals 0.000278 U.S. dollars) ■