The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) on Tuesday rejected the move by the Petroleum Ministry to close CNG filling stations that had completed fifteen years of operations, terming the decision detrimental for the masses.
Some officials in the ministry are bent upon damaging the CNG sector that provides economical fuel to the masses and saves precious foreign exchange, said the association. The government wants to benefit the powerful petroleum and liquid gas sectors, it said.
The summary moved by the ministry to the cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to close down CNG outlets is a plot to deprive masses of economical fuel, damage the transport sector, plunge millions into unemployment and lay to waste our investments, said APCNGA Chairman Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, he said Advisor to PM on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain has been desperately trying to close down the CNG business and introduce LPG in the market as soon as possible.
Showing no respect for prevalent laws and rules, the minister has been overstepping the authority of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) since years and has been taking controversial decisions, that have remained unpopular, even with the ruling elite, he added.
Dubbing the summary a plot to destroy investments in the CNG sector, Paracha said any hasty decision in the forthcoming meeting of the ECC would be resisted with full force. Paracha said an urgent meeting of the APCNGA Central Executive Committee has been summoned to discuss the situation and devise a counter strategy.
