Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain on Thursday said the Explosive Act 1862 was not fit to check the incidents of explosion of CNG cylinders in public transport as neither the capacity in the relevant department nor the rules were appropriate to control such accidents. The minister made this statement in response to concerns expressed by PML-N members through a calling-attention notice regarding an increase in the incidents of explosion of LPG and CNG cylinder fitted in the public transport vehicles. He feared that if urgent steps were not taken, such explosion could also take place at the CNG stations.
Earlier, while raising the issue of low gas pressure, a number of PML-N legislators criticised gas load shedding plan for domestic consumers, saying that the PPP-led government was not serious in resolving the issue. Nisar Ali Khan said the petroleum minister was the cause of the failure of the ministry. “Is appointing your personal physician as petroleum minister a service to the nation? Why doesn’t the minister accept his failure? During former president Pervez Musharraf’s regime there was no gas load shedding…. this situation is due to the failed governance of the PPP regime,” he said.
He questioned the role of the minister, arguing that if he thought the CNG sector was proving a disaster for gas sector, why did he issue thousands of licences for new CNG stations.
