January 26, 2008	Saturday	Muharram 16, 1429

PESHAWAR, Jan 25: The All Pakistan CNG Association, NWFP chapter, has said it will resist the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) plan to disconnect gas supply to CNG stations in the province.

A meeting of the association’s executive committee was held here on Friday under Ikhtiar Wali.

Giving details about the meeting, Mr Wali told Dawn that the meeting had been called to formulate a strategy amid reports of disconnection of gas supply to CNG stations by the SNGPL.

According to him, the SNGPL had suspended gas supply to two gas stations in Hayatabad from 5pm to 9pm on Thursday.

He criticised the SNGPL decision of disconnecting gas supply to CNG stations which, according to him, consumed hardly 6 per cent of the total gas consumption.

The industrial sector, he said, had alternative sources of energy but the CNG sector had no other option but to rely on gas supplied from the SNGPL.

Meanwhile, the Peshawar-based office of the SNGPL has clarified reports about disconnection of gas supply to CNG stations in Peshawar.

In a statement issued here on Friday, a spokesperson for the public utility said it had no plan to disconnect gas supply to CNG stations and it would continue without interruption. He said reports about disconnection of gas were not correct.

The spokesperson, however, conceded that in case of shortage, gas supply could be suspended for some time to some stations, as had happened in Hayatabad on Thursday evening.