Petroleum ministry, CNG owners' meeting on April 22

The Ministry of Petroleum officials will hold meeting with All Pakistan CNG Owners Association on April 22, to resolve the problem confronting the CNG industry particularly gas loadshedding to the industry. This was stated by the chairman and president, All Pakistan CNG Owners Association Malik Khuda Baksh after holding a meeting with the Secretary Petroleum Imtiaz Kazi, DG Gas Mohammad Azam and other representatives in Islamabad on Saturday.
He said on telephone the Ministry will compile the exact situation of gas availability and its growing demand across the country. Malik Khuda Baksh said for the last two days they had a series of meetings with ministry officials to resolve gas loadshedding problem without making the users suffer.
He pointed out that CNG owners association did not take part in the CNG strike call given by another group as this would have created panic among the people and further increased their miseries in the shape of paying more by using petrol. Closure of CNG stations would result in financial loss to the owners because their fixed cost included electricity, staff salaries and expenses. Before the start of winter season, he said it was decided that there would be two day gas loadshedding for CNG sector while in remaining five days the gas would be provided with full pressure.
However, he regretted that despite such promises by the government, full pressure gas was not provided in five working days that caused loss the station owners. Baksh said that secretary petroleum informed them that gas supply was disturbed due to gas pipeline blown up in Balochistan and several new discoveries of gas could not included in the system due to poor law and order situation in different parts of the country.
He said that secretary petroleum has also assured that some repair work would be completed within a week and the ministry would be in a position to present clear position of gas to the CNG Owner Association. He also claimed that there was enough gas supply in the country but due to mis-management on part of the government, the crises occurred.