Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Officials from the sole company distributing cooking gas have denied that there is a shortage of gas cylinders in Jeddah, even though workers at gas distribution shops have claimed otherwise. Speaking to business daily Al-Eqtisadiah on Monday, the officials described the reports as false and warned that the circulation of such rumors would unnecessarily increase demand. The workers were unanimous that there was a shortage of at least 20 percent in the number of small and medium-size cylinders distributed to them. They said shops that used to get 140 cylinders every day were now getting at most 115. They asked the municipalities and the Ministry of Commerce to intervene before the crisis snowballed. While some workers accused the distributing company of favoring certain shops, others said the shortage was caused by the Civil Defense closing down a large center for the distribution of cylinders in north Jeddah. Meanwhile, spokesman for Makkah Civil Defense Col. Saeed Al-Sarhan denied the closure of any gas shop in Jeddah and said there were 106 shops distributing gas in the city. "There are six more shops that will be licensed after the necessary procedures are completed," he said. Al-Sarhan said there have been no accidents in any of the shops even though they are located in densely populated areas. "We cannot move these shops to the outskirts of populated areas because residents, especially housewives, need their services," he said. Al-Sarhan warned that any service providing facility would be closed down without warning if it failed to observe safety measures. The official recalled that 50 workshops in Jeddah were closed down last week for not observing safety measures.
