Meeting convened on Monday to prepare response on CNG closure

ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Compressed Natural Gas(CNG) Association has convened a meeting here on Monday to prepare a future strategy against the decision to stop in a week the gas supply for three-days in Punjab and two days in Sindh.

" Let people decide on these unjust measures which in no way serve the interest of the poor who have been provided inexpensive mode of transportation by the CNG sector" Chairman supreme council of the association Giyas Abduallah Paracha said.

He said the association's emergency meeting was being attended by of all zonal, regional and divisional representatives to muster up support of transporters and masses to register a strong protest against the decision of CNG loadshedding.

Rejecting the gas closure decision, he said these anti-public measures did not serve to promote policy of reconciliation rather it was forcing to launch protest.

He said it was not acceptable to introduce three-day weekly offs for CNG in Punjab and two days in Sindh despite Sindh High Court's stay orders, adding such decisions were tantamount to taking away rights of 40 million CNG consumers.

He demanded of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza to take notice of situation as these measures were part of nefarious design to undermine people welfare oriented efforts of the government.

He said as per government's commitments CNG sector had first right on gas saved from the private sector's power stations but the CNG sector was being deprived of this right, he added.

He was of the view there was no gas shortage in the country but some elements of vested interest were trying to discourage the CNG sector.

He said that such conspiracy will fail as the CNG was a fuel of the poor people and million of vehicles were run by the same.

He said the government was needed to take solid steps for promotion of the CNG sector to provide inexpensive mode of transportation to the people and keep the economic wheel moving.

The Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet on June 30 approved summary on natural gas load management policy has proposed curtailment of CNG supply to CNG stations for three and two days for the Provinces of Punjab and Sindh respectively.

The gas saved by the proposed curtailment would be used for power generation in Sindh and to facilitate fertilizer, industrial and power sector in Punjab on equitable basis so that consistent supply of power is ensured.

However at the request of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, the committee deferred the proposal for the revision in gas sale prices for the next two or three days so that the matter may be discussed at the Cabinet level or with the Prime Minister.

It was decided that gas supply to two IPPs would continue for the next five months and the other two IPPs would be asked to resort to other fuels on which the price differential would be given to them.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011