LAHORE – There has been no respite for CNG users despite a significant decrease in gas consumption and improvement in gas production, Pakistan Today has learnt. Talks between the Petroleum and Natural Resources Ministry and the All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) also failed and two-day CNG weekly closure would continue until third week of February.
CNG stations remained closed in the city on Monday and would remain the same today (Tuesday). According to sources in the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), shortfall of gas has decreased to 250mmmcf, as weather has changed in the last one week and use of heaters and geysers had decreased but even then the company is not ready to provide relief to CNG stations. They said that high-ups of the company are “mysteriously silent” and not telling the exact gas shortfall and just insisting on closure of CNG stations and lowering gas pressure to domestic users.
A SNGPL official said that the CNG sector tried to convince SNGPL officials with facts and figures but they refused to give any relief to the sector. “The silence of SNGPL in telling shortfall of gas and not providing relief to consumers is very meaningful, as the shortfall has reduced to 250mmmcf. Earlier, there was shortfall of 750mmcf and people suffered and now when the shortfall has come down even then there is no respite,” said a source, adding it is duty of the petroleum ministry to check SNGPL officials and restore gas supply to the CNG sector.
Talks between the APCNGA and the petroleum ministry failed, APCNGA Chairman Ghayas Paracha said. Petroleum Secretary Imtiaz Qazi was also present in the meeting. Paracha said that shortfall of SNGPL has decreased significantly but there is no relief for the CNG sector. He said that the SNGPL is very dishonest, as it is providing gas to heavy industries and heavy industries be closed according to agreement with the SNGPL but it is not being done.
“Senior officials of SNGPL have made secret deals with big industries and are providing them gas and penalising domestic users and CNG sector,” he lamented. Motorists have to use petrol for running their vehicles, as all CNG stations of the city were closed. Motorists condemned behaviour of the SNGPL and demanded the government to provide them relief by ending two-day closures in a week.
They said that now when gas consumption has decreased then there is no point in closing CNG stations. “SNGPL has an excuse of cold weather for closing CNG stations but now there is no such excuse. The company should provide relief to the public by ending the two-day closure,” citizen Zulfiqar Elahi said adding that the government should check SNGPL, where corruption is running high.
“The SNGPL has made lives of people difficult and no one is bothered about performance of the company. The SNGPL MD is working for the last nine years on the post violating rules but no one is checking it,” he added. Another motorist Iftikhar Ali said that if the company could not end the two-day closure then at least it should opt for a one-day suspension.
No respite in gas shortage despite fall in consumption
