Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan CNG stations to close for three days

All CNG stations in Lahore and adjacent districts will remain closed for three days--on Monday to Wednesday--as announced by Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL). For implementation on the decision, SNGPL management has constituted special teams, which would take stern action against those who will violate the gas management schedule.
Motorists and owners and workers at CNG stations have flayed the government's decision to close down CNG stations for three days a week. Talking to Business Recorder here on Sunday they said it would compound their problems and cast negative effect on their lives and business activities. Provincial metropolis and its adjacent cities are going to be severely hit by the 3-day closure as more than 12,000 vehicles daily ply on inter-city routes, besides local routes. Those who travel in city and inter-city daily include workers, traders, office goers, students and tourists.
Drivers of vans, rickshaws and cabs have also severely criticised the decision of the present People's Party-led government. They said that closure of CNG would add to their problems. SNGPL Gerneral Manager Sales Nawaz Rehan has confirmed that CNG would not be available from Mondays to Wednesdays in the provincial metropolis from today (Monday).
More than 3000 CNG stations operating in the northern zone would be deeply disturbed by the decision and CNG owners have vowed to resist the decision.
Talking to Business Recorder, Ghayyas Piracha, Chairman of CNG Association of Pakistan, said that meeting of the supreme council of CNG Association has been convened on Tuesday, July 5, in which members of the CNG Association from across the country will participate and future strategy will be chalked out. There are reports that not only CNG will be scarce, shortage of petrol is also expected.
"CNG Association would adopt a clear and united stance in the best interest of both the people and the CNG stations. It is not possible for them (owners of CNG stations) to run their businesses smoothly when the CNG stations remain closed three days a week," he said.
Rehan Nawaz said the 597 CNG stations in northern zone comprising districts Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan will remain closed on Monday to Wednesday and districts Attock, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Chakwal and Jhelum and Faisalabad, Bahawalpur would remain closed from Thursday to Saturday.
It is pertinent to mention here that more than 2.5 million vehicles in Pakistan are running on gas as Pakistan has 3,379 CNG filling stations, out of them 2,200 are in Punjab. The Northern Zone has the largest concentration of CNG filling stations in Punjab.