Severe living conditions | Long queues grow in regime-held areas
The long queues of people and cars have become common scenes in the Syrian regime-held areas in all provinces, in light of deteriorating living conditions significantly, according to SOHR. The long queues are seen at gas stations, bread bakeries, bus stops, public institutions and other places. Where many of bakeries were closed, dozens of gas stations were shut down due to fuel scarcity, while the transportation crisis became a nightmare for civilians in the regime-held areas in general, particularly employees and school and university students.
Meanwhile, the regime’s authorities take no action to secure the basic needs of the people, in light of the astronomical prices of basic commodities prices and the instability of the Syrian pound against foreign currencies. The salary of a Syrian employee, which ranges from $15 to $20, equivalent to 50,000 and 75,000 Syrian pounds, is not enough for five days.
In Damascus, the selling rate is 3,725 SYP and the buying rate is 3,625 SYP against the dollar, while 4,385 SYP for selling and 4,262 SYP for buying against the euro. In Idlib and Aleppo countryside, however, the selling rate is 485 SYP and the buying rate is 441 SYP against Turkish lira. On the other hand, the price of one gram of 21 carat gold has reached 181,000 SYP per gram in Damascus.
Yesterday, SOHR sources said that Aleppo city experienced a rare traffic due to the fees of means of transportation has recorded alarming increases, as the fee of a taxi inside Aleppo city ranges between 3,000 SYL and 6,000 SYL, which forced people to go to their work on foot. This increase has affected greatly on all sectors, especially the medical one, as hospitals’ bills has increased greatly after the increase of petrol price.
Reliable sources in Al-Arabi hospital in Aleppo city have informed SOHR that the bill of the treatment for one patient in the hospital has reached 95,000 SYL in only one day, while the cost of transportation has reached 40,000, nearly the half cost of the hospital’s bill.
On the other hand, some individuals have exploited the crisis. One example, among many, was an officer in charge of organizing the queue in front of a petrol station near Al-Zera’a building in Al-Maydan neighbourhood in Aleppo city. The officer has imposed a bribe of nearly 35,000 SYL in return for 40 litres of petrol, while the people who refuse to pay the bribe have to wait for days to get petrol.
Moreover, the costs of services have been increased, partly paralyzing the activities of workshops and factories.
Also, several people have canceled their contributions paid for electricity, because of the unaffordable cost of Ambers which have reached 6,000 SYL each.
It is worth noting that petrol is sold in Aleppo city for 5,000 SYL per litre, while the gasoline, which is sold in the city for 4,000 SYL per litre, is almost unavailable.
Furthermore, corruption prevails in Aleppo city among members of security checkpoints and militiamen affiliated to the 4th Division, as reliable SOHR sources have confirmed that a checkpoint of the 4th Division in Al-Layramoun and Al-Feesh checkpoint take 500 SYL from every car passing through these checkpoints, disregarding the residents’ dire living conditions. This money goes to soldiers and officers in the area.
Areas under the control of the Syrian regime are still struggling with critical fuel hardship which have resulted in great congestion in front of petrol station, after the regime government has reduced fuel amounts allocated to all provinces. SOHR activists have reported escalating congestion and long queues of vehicles in front of petrol stations. On the other hand residents are awaiting in streets, amid the lack of public transportation almost completely due to the acute fuel shortage for days, while students and employees are unable to reach their schools, universities or work because of the high fees of private means of transportation and taxies.
On March 30, SOHR activists monitored an alarming subsidence of traffic in the street of Damascus, along with the acute fuel shortage and long queues of vehicles in front of petrol stations. This development was attributed to the decision of the “fuel committee” in Damascus of reducing the quantities of filling gasoline for private and public tourist cars (taxis) by 50 %. Accordingly, the quota for private cars to be filled was reduced to 20 liters every 7 days, down from 40 liters, while public cars and vehicles working between Lebanon and Jordon were allowed to be filled every 4 days. Besides, the gasoline supply supposed to be allocated to minibuses on Fridays would be stopped until further notice, as the buses of the “public authority of inland transportation” would be relied on.
The reasons behind the deterioration of fuel crisis in all areas under the control of regime forces across Syria could be also attributed to the reduction of daily fuel allocations provided by regime government to the petrol stations in regime-held areas.
A day earlier, SOHR sources reported that the deteriorating fuel crisis in areas under the control of regime forces throughout Syria resulted in suspension of transportation almost completely in the streets of Tartus and Latakia provinces due to the acute petrol shortage. Meanwhile, cars and vehicles were awaiting in long queues for nearly 12 consecutive hours.
It is worth noting that the cities of Syrian coastline have been struggling with critical petrol shortage since the beginning of last week, as long lines of vehicles, reached a few kilometres long, were seen awaiting in front of petrol stations. In this context, SOHR activists have monitored stifling congestion in front of petrol stations in Tartus and Latakia provinces.
On March 27, SOHR activists monitored long lines of cars and people and considerable congestion before fuel stations throughout Syria, as fuel crisis in regime-held areas was deteriorating, where people had to stay for long hours in order to get their allocations of fuel, along with ongoing poor transportation services. Moreover, considerable congestion were seen in front of bread bakeries due to the acute bread shortage at a time when regime-held areas were experiencing astronomically inflated prices. All these chronic crises sparked popular anger among the people in regime-held areas.