Business Standard / New Delhi August 26, 2008, 5:18 IST The proximate reason for the hike in petroleum product prices last month was the likelihood of shortages in these products, as cash-strapped oil firms ran out of money to import crude. To the extent that crude oil prices have dropped since then, after rising briefly to $147 a barrel a month ago, the situation is more manageable today, but shortages have started cropping up again. The waiting lines for CNG in the capital have lengthened; new connections for LPG cylinders are routinely delayed; and reports of diesel not being available keep surfacing as oil firms try to push the premium blends where losses are lower. The reason is simple