Major roads of the city witnessed long queues of vehicles to get CNG from operating fuel pumps while domestic consumers were also found on the same page due low gas pressure, forcing them to resort to alternate ways for carrying out kitchen activities and to keep themselves warm.
Long queues were seen in front of CNG stations in garrison city on Sunday and Monday on all major roads including Murree Road, Rawal Road, Saddiqabad Raod, Tippu Road, Raja Bazaar, Rashid Minhas Road and traffic wardens completely failed to handle the situation for smooth flow of traffic on roads.
Motorists are facing problems due to traffic jams, particularly on Benazir Bhutto Road as motorists were desperate to get the CNG from few stations that are open while majority of the pumps are closed following a dispute between OGRA and APCNGA on price.
Talking to INP, citizens said that the situation is due to mismanagement and lack of planning on the part of higher authorities, adding that second or third queue on roads outside CNG stations should be banned.
Muhammad Farooq, a resident of Rawalpindi, said that people were facing difficulties due to long queues of vehicles on roads near CNG stations.
People from different walks of life while talking to INP expressed severe anger over low gas pressure to domestic consumers and CNG station which added to the miseries of the masses.
“We are already troubled over inflation, scarcity of water and several other problems and the low gas pressure has added to our miseries,” citizens lamented and added that government instead of doing anything to overcome the energy crisis was creating more problems for the general public.
They said it was due to poor planning and implementation of agreements with the industrial sector. They said the gas companies have agreements with the industry that they would not be supplied gas during winter season but in order to oblige them, they are also being supplied the scare fuel and as a result the domestic consumers were at the loss.
They also referred to the statements by the Prime Minister and the Advisor on Petroleum and Natural Resources that domestic consumers would be given the priority but the fact is that they are the much neglected consumers having no say about their grievances.
