APCNGA questions govt-imposed ban on use of generators by CNG stations

The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) on Monday criticised the government’s policy of barring CNG filling stations from using diesel generators to run their businesses during electricity load shedding. APCNGA Supreme Council Chairman Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha demanded immediate reversal of the policy which he said was only adding to the miseries of the people “who are already stressed due to the much-criticised gas load shedding schedule and unjust distribution of the hydrocarbon resources”. He said the policy of discouraging CNG owners from running business during load shedding was not according to the ground realities as no area in Pakistan was immune to power load shedding which left many without CNG during operational days. Paracha said one of the worst power breakdowns late on Sunday night that left over half of the country in darkness and stopped production in most of the country also took toll on the CNG business. 800 CNG outlets of 1,200 in Region I including Faisalabad, Bhawalpur, and Potohar remained closed due to the failure of the power network, he said. He said closure of 800 stations resulted in additional burden on operational CNG filling stations resulting in longer lines of cars, cabs, and public transport vehicles. “A country having the largest user base of CNG in the world, with the highest number of CNG stations and almost two-thirds of all cars and small commercial vehicles using this fuel deserve a better treatment,” the leader of CNG sector said. He said most of the policies for CNG sector were framed by politicians and bureaucracy who remained unconcerned with the plight of the people.