KP CNG stations to go on indefinite strike

PESHAWAR: The KP CNG Stations’ Association has given call for going on strike for indefinite period and vowed its continuation till the acceptance of their demands including the withdrawal of ban on import of CNG kits, cylinders and filling of gas in commercial vehicles.

Addressing a press conference, the Chairman of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CNG Association, Pervez Khan Khattak, said that the Punjab chapter of the association has already announced to go strike for indefinite period. A large number of CNG station owners were also present on the occasion.

The KP chapter, he said, has also launched mobilisation campaign at districts level and has decided to go on strike from Monday, January 2, 2012. He said that the strike would continue till acceptance of all demands, including the removal of Minister for Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussein from his post.

The association rejected ban on import of CNG kits and cylinders and termed it a wrong and cruel decision. He said that all investors of the sector are against this unjustified decision and vow to resist through their respective forums. The association asked the policy makers to keep in mind that the ban would create a new problem with start of smuggling of the equipment into the country and flooding of the installation of substandard kits and cylinders in illegal workshops. That would increase the chances of explosions, which would be a new headache for both people and administration.

Khattak said that so far investors have made investment to the tune of Rs.16 trillion in the CNG industry while transporters and people have invested Rs.15 trillion in heads of CNG kits and cylinders. He said that as compares to other industries CNG sector is annually paying Rs 33 billion in heads of sales and income taxes to the national exchequer. Furthermore, he said, the use of CNG as alternative energy, the import of petrol had cut down by 4 billion litres annually saving foreign exchange of $ 3 billion.

Pervez said that CNG has emerged as economic and green fuel in the world and its use had helped decline environmental pollution, which is further saving millions of rupees in head of the health sector. In future, the use of CNG as fuel in vehicles could further cut environmental pollution by 75 percent, which is a guarantee for a protected future.

The government, he said, in the name of gas shortage and excuses restricting the industry and like other stable communication sector organisations push it towards destruction and sent the people of Pakistan back to the century-old era of the tongas and handcarts. He said that as compared to other industries CNG sectors buy gas at higher rate while the domestic consumers are also supplied cheap natural gas. Rejecting the impression that the CNG sector is creating gas shortage, he said that they are using only 8.2 percent of the total produced gas and the crisis is due to the mismanagement and lack of interest on behalf of the government in this regard.

He said that the association is very much in contact with the concerned authorities for prevention of the incidents of the cylinders’ bursting incidents to secure the use of the CNG in vehicles. In each district the association will deploy experts on CNG filling station for testing the cylinders and will then paste a sticker on them. Later, the vehicles lacking the prescribed sticker will not be filled CNG.