KARACHI: Incentives sought for CNG users: Seminar on environment
KARACHI, June 5: Participants at a seminar on Thursday, called for concessions and incentives for CNG users, including reduction in its price, so that conversion of vehicles to CNG could be expedited.
They said conversion of vehicle, specially, of public transport vehicles, to CNG, would help ensure clean and healthy environment for the people, while adding that improved environment would attract foreign investment as well.
The seminar, titled “Role of CNG in clean and green Pakistan” was organised by the National Forum for Environment and Health, to mark the World Environment Day.
Advisor to the chief minister, Faisal Malik Gabol, who was the chief guest, underlined the need to educate people about hazards of environmental pollution. Media should play a leading role in this regard, he said.
He vowed to implement the environment protection laws and pointed out some measure taken by the provincial government in this regard. He said thanks to the Sindh High Court’s allowing the appointment of environment magistrates, he had appointed these in some areas.
He deplored that there was no customer-oriented system, while pointing out that same CNG kits were being used for a car of 1000 CC or for a 300 CC vehicle.
The managing director of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Munawar Baseer Ahmed, rejected the contention that conversion to CNG adversely affects the durability of an engine.
He recommended more price differential between CNG and PoL prices to encourage the use of CNG. Kits should be locally produced so that these could be made available to the users at low prices, he said.
He said more than 80 per cent vehicles were diesel-fed and emphasised speedy conversion of heavy public transport vehicles to CNG. “Buses and other heavy vehicles were not being converted to CNG, whereas these are the main contributors to environmental degradation,” he said.
He, on the occasion, stated that Daewoo would soon launch CNG buses in the city and he assured full cooperation for making the service successful.
He said the SSGC was providing gas to the KESC to feed its plants, while the SSGC was engaged in dialogue with Hubco and NEPRA to make their operations environment-friendly and economical.
Nadeem Jaffri from Caltex said that imported diesel contained more than five per cent sulphur and recommended that the sulphur ratio should be cut to half. Furnace oil bears 3.5 per cent sulphur level, while it should not exceed one per cent, he said.
The CNG also carries 15 PSIs, while it should be not more than 8 PSIs, he said.
Naushab Sarwar suggested that the government should give incentives to CNG users and all those involved in conversion of transport and other systems to CNG.
General manager, retail fuel, PSO, Kaleem Siddiqui, suggested relaxation in tax and import duties on CNG-related equipment, and called for adopting a liberal policy to provide license for CNG retailing, while urging the government to provided natural gas connections to CNG stations on priority basis.
Dr Fasihullah Mir spoke on noise pollution and recommended that rickshaws should be either banned or forced to install quality silencers.
Dr Qaiser deliberated upon water pollution and recommended recycling of water for agriculture use instead of utilising 70 per cent of available clean water for the purpose.
Other speakers were Dr Qaiser Waheed, Malik Khuda Bakhsh and Naeem Qureshi.—APP
