KARACHI - The acute shortage of Tar and the consequent rise in its price due to black market have resulted in bring the on-going development works to a halt across the country, TheNation learnt on Tuesday. It was learnt that the contractors are compelled to purchase tar on an increased price of Rs 6,000 per metric ton and that too on the black market. Therefore, the development works all over the country are suffering from delay and it is the masses, which are to suffer. National Refinery has been supposedly closed for ages and the supply of Tar is coming only from Attock Refinery, which is being supplied through black market and also increased in prices despite the fact that the hike in prices of crude oil in international market has not been observed. This is the best season for carpeting and the irony is that we are severely short of the commodity as the requirement is of 1,000 tonnes while we are provided with some 200 tonnes, resultantly it is the government and people that will suffer, said Younis Khan, General Secretary All Pakistan Contractors Association (APCA). He said that the contractor is being pressurised to complete their assigned development works otherwise the contracts will come to an end, but the massive shortage of Tar is serious concern of national level and the ministry of petroleum is not heeding on it. Asked he said the contractor has to quote form where he is getting Tar, besides the only two sources of National refinery and Attock Refinery, and he is supposed to get only from these two sources because of their good quality. The development work is being carried out across the country and it is not possible to complete that work in time because of an acute shortage of the tar, he pointed out. He said that yet black market and the consequent price-hike coupled with enormous pressure to meet the stipulated deadline are adding to the miseries of the contractor, adding that they were left with no remedial option.