Gas-sparked protests rage on

Chambers of commerce threatening to launch civil disobedience movements against the gas shortage and thousands of furious people protesting against the unavailability of gas and the increase in the prices of whatever little gas is available, also rejecting a ban on refilling Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in public service vehicles, forced the government on Monday to withdraw the ban for 15 days and form a committee for proposals on the price issue within four days. In Rawalpindi and Islamabad, protesters carrying sticks burned tyres and chanted “Down with the government, stop suffocating the poor”. They blocked GT Road at Rawat and Tarnol, and the road linking Murree and Azad Kashmir at Barakahu. All road links between Rawalpindi and Islamabad also remained blocked throughout the day, disrupting all kinds of supplies to the cities. Police used teargas and baton charged the protesters but the roads remained closed late into the evening. The protesters chanted slogans against the federal government, the petroleum minister, Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL). Similar demonstrations were also held in the big cities of Balochistan and Sindh. More than a dozen small protests were also held across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In Multan, up to 1,500 people, mostly transporters and CNG dealers, held a demonstration and blocked roads in protest. In Lahore, the presidents of all chambers of commerce and industry of the province threatened to start a civil disobedience movement in case the federal government continued to discriminate against Punjab in the supply of natural gas. They decided to stage a protest in front of Governor’s House and a sit-in at the Lahore residence of the prime minister on January 7. People in the twin cities suffered the most as public transport also observed a complete strike. Minimum attendance was witnessed in offices as most government servants and private sector employees could not reach their offices in the absence of public transport. Taxi and rickshaw drivers took full advantage of the situation and jacked up their fares.
To chalk out a strategy in view of the gas crisis, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani directed the Petroleum Ministry to take immediate steps to control the situation and the petroleum secretary hurriedly convened a meeting to engage the CNG and transport associations, with the representatives of the district administration also in attendance.
However, the meeting ended without any agreement as the CNG and transport associations were asked to take back their strike call but they refused to do so until the government addressed all their issues.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Petroleum Secretary Ejaz Chaudhary said the government had lifted the ban on refilling public service vehicles for a fortnight and during this time OGRA would notify rules for the placing of CNG cylinders in such vehicles, as placing them under the seats or on the roof was dangerous.
He said he had clarified to both associations that there was no plan to shut down gas supply to the CNG stations outright. He said the news about indefinite closure of the CNG sector was incorrect and the CNG stations would remain closed as per the mutually-agreed gas load management plan. He said there was no proposal for closure of the CNG stations during the months of January and February. He informed the participants that after February, the situation of supply would stabilise and gas supply to the CNG sector would improve.
The secretary said it was decided during the meeting that a high-powered committee comprising senior representatives of the Finance and Petroleum Ministries and OGRA would look into the issue of the gas pricing and submit its report within four days. He said the government would look into the possibility of imposing gas cess in phases on the CNG sector.
The CNG and transport associations had demanded one day load-shedding for the CNG sector, allowing new cylinders in public service vehicles to replace the substandard cylinders and complete abolition of gas cess which had increased the CNG prices from Rs 66.42 to Rs 74.34 per kg. The Petroleum Ministry is stressing on bringing the CNG prices at par with petrol prices to reduce the demand for gas.
All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) Chairman Ghiyas Paracha and Transport Association Chairman Sultan Awan later announced that their protest would continue until all their demands – including gas load shedding for one day until February 15 instead of three days a week – were accepted. They also demanded complete abolition of gas infrastructure development cess as well as an end to the ban on refilling public service vehicles.
The gap between the local demand and supply has increased to over 1 billion cubic feet per day. To bridge the deficit, the government has increased gas prices by 14 percent from January 1. Prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) were also increased by Rs 10 to Rs 15 per kg on Monday, with cylinders for domestic use now available for Rs 170 each and those for commercial purposes now costing Rs 680 each.