ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Compressed Natural Gas Association in a last-final effort will shut down CNG filling stations across Punjab from Wednesday for an indefinite period to press the government to end two-day weekly closure.
The Petroleum Retailers Association will also join the strike to protest the demolition of petrol pumps, low commission rate and cancellation of leases.
Of late, the association held a meeting with CNG and petrol outlets' owners in Lahore this week, mustering up support for the move against what they describe 'unjustified' weekly closure of CNG stations.
However, according to sources, the association could not get round the petrol pumps' owners in Potohar region to their course of action to resolve the issue.
The association is of the view there is no justification to continue the CNG weekly closure after March 15, a deadline the government had announced for gas loadshedding to end.
"Even now in summer season, gas loadshedding is still continuing which has no justification at all. We have been continuously in consultation with the government to resolve our issues but couldn't get any positive response, forcing us to call a strike," said the association's chairman supreme council Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha.
He said the association had tried its best to resolve the issue through negotiations but the authorities offered no solid solution.
He said letters had been written to President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, Naveed Qamar, Minister for Privatization, Khursheed Shah, Labour and Manpower Minister, Secretary Petroleum, Chairman OGRA, DG Gas and MD SNGPL to resolve the CNG sector's genuine demands.
"Our strike will be peaceful and we will look forward for a positive response from Government", he said.
The association claims that the country has sufficient gas reserves and there was no gas crisis but poor policy and mismanagement are allegedly responsible for the prevailing situation.
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