The Petroleum Ministry decided on Wednesday to slash the span of gas load shedding for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations in Punjab and Potohar regions to two days a week. The decision, which will come into effect next week, came after negotiations between the ministry and the representatives of CNG dealers.
According to Petroleum Ministry officials, the CNG stations could not be accommodated further because of the reduced supply of natural gas. They said the All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) was assured in writing of not imposing the Petroleum Levy and pegging the prices at 47 percent below that of petrol.
It was also decided that a special committee would be formed to resolve the problems being faced by the CNG sector. The CNG dealers had earlier announced to go on a strike from August 24 for an unspecified period if the government failed to yield to their demands. A private TV channel quoted Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) Managing Director Arif Hameed as saying the decision was made after reviewing the demand and supply situation of gas. Meanwhile, Senior Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi told an APCNGA delegation in Lahore that he would do his utmost to end CNG load shedding and restore uninterrupted supply to the filling stations across the country. He said CNG was an environment-friendly fuel, which was introduced during the tenure of his party’s government.
