LAHORE: CNG seems to have vanished from Lahore, leaving locals to struggle for gas, as only a few stations in the city are offering gas due to low gas pressure, Pakistan Today has learnt. Tuesday was a CNG day off, as announced by the government, and owing to a low gas pressure the commuters suffered for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday and were seen roaming around deserted gas stations in search of CNG. Most of the CNG stations are non functional because of gas load shedding and low gas pressure. The few stations that are offering CNG to commuters are greeted by vehicles queuing long outside the stations.
Low gas pressure forced locals to run their vehicles on petrol which is considerably more expensive than CNG. Gas was not found even in key areas of the city which includes Johar Town, College Road, Model Town, Faisal Town, Muslim Town, Gulberg, Canal Park, Multan Road, Mughalpura, Dharampura, Cantt and Defence.
Iftikhar Khan, a CNG station operator said, “Everything is evident; its 1 o’clock, and the gas officials have partially opened the gas pressure just now. The pressure is not up to the mark still people have started pouring in after hearing about gas availability.”
RICKSHAW DRIVERS AND PARENT SUFFER ALIKE: Mumtaz Ali, a rickshaw driver said, “During the last three days I haven’t been able to earn up to my required wage.
How does the government expect us to earn respectfully when I can’t drive my rickshaw? I have a family of six and have no idea how I’m going to feed them.” This problem is no longer restricted to rickshaw drivers. Concerned middle class parents are now dragged in to this trouble. “Universities and schools are being shifted to city outskirts and this problem is multiplying day by day,” said Imran Shafeeq whose child study’s at Burki. “The government seems completely oblivious to the on growing gas issue,” he added.
GOVERNMENT HAS TO COOPERATE: On the other side, All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) Chairman Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha, while talking to Pakistan Today, said they were struggling hard to settle down this problem for once and for all. “The people who should be provided with gas can’t find gas and the people who shouldn’t be provided with gas are getting it,” he said adding that talks with the minister were still underway. He warned that if the government did not fulfill the APCNGA demands they will start staging rallies after Muharram holidays in all major cities and might call a nation wide strike.
