Closure of CNG stations: Transporters raise fares by 50 percent

Wagon and bus owners have increased fares by 50 percent due to closure of CNG stations and non-availability of gas. Besides, 170 industrial units remained closed on the second day, rendering more than 50,000 workers jobless. The gas authorities and textile industry are not on the same page on the gas load management plan; resultantly, domestic consumers are bound to suffer as the gas load shedding and low pressure would continue across the country.
General Manager (Sales) Sui Northern Gas Pipeline (SNGPL), Multan, Ali Hassan, said that textile industry had given go-ahead to cut gas supply to textile industry for 36 hours. However, while expressing complete helplessness to tell exact date of restoration of gas supply to textile industry, he said the load management committee of SNGPL would decide later when to restore the supply. He said that it was impossible to restore gas supply to the textile industry by Monday as gas pack was around 2650 million cubic feet (mmcfd) on Sunday evening and was not ideal one for smooth gas supply. The SNGPL official further said that CNG would be available at CNG stations of southern Punjab by Wednesday afternoon.
He said that provision of gas to CNG filling stations of Multan, Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, and Muzaffargarh would be restored after load management committee meeting. However, for the consumers of Multan, CNG would be restored by Wednesday. Chairman of All Pakistan Bedsheet and Upholstry Manufacturers Association (APBUMA), Jalaluddin Roomi deplored that present gas crisis had made 15 million workers unemployed. An industry that provides $12 billion might become bankrupt if recent gas outages persisted, he said. He also warned of severe consequences if gas authorities failed to fulfil the commitment made with Aptma.
It is important to note that the fate of decisions of the committee headed by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on 23rd December hung in balance as the Prime Minister instructed the gas authorities to fix 400 mmcfd for five days to the textile industry that could not satisfy the stakeholders. The 80 percent textile industry is located in Punjab province, which was divided in two parts for proper supply of gas.