ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has issued show cause notices and fined CNG stations failing to meet the operational quality standards, while gas connections to three CNG outlets have been disconnected.

To ensure the safety and security of the public property, the oil and gas regulator conducted quality checks of 211 CNG stations in Sindh and the NWFP during September and show cause notices were served on 18 stations for having deficiencies in their licences.

The quality check was conducted through the third party inspectors to determine the compliance of Ogra rules by these stations.

Based on the reports by the inspectors eight CNG stations were fined Rs50,000 each on account of safety rules violations.

The regulator disconnected gas of three CNG stations for failing to meet the technical safety standards.

As per the Ogra regulations all the 2,980 CNG stations have to be inspected at least once a year. The authority has appointed three inspectors; including one from the Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan (HDIP) and two are from the private sector.

A senior official of HDIP told Dawn that strict checks had been maintained over the operations of CNG stations in the country.

‘Despite the fact that Pakistan has the fastest growth of CNG in the world but only nominal CNG related accidents have been witnessed because of strict checks,’ the official said.

During the inspection the technical experts identify the flaws in the CNG stations and adequate time is given to the managers to rectify the problem. Those failing to comply with the report are fined accordingly.

The Ogra charges Rs50,000 per annum from all the CNG stations to meet the cost of inspections, and Rs20,000 is charged for the second visit by the inspector.

However, the CNG stations owners have repeatedly complained that the total money collected by Ogra on account of inspections amounts to around Rs210 million per annum, which was a heavy burden on the business.

Talking to Dawn Chairman CNG Dealers Association Gyas Paracha said that they had demanded the regulator for more interactions with the industry.

They should conduct training courses on small scale, especially for the CNG operators in remote areas, he added.

He said with more than 2.5 million vehicles using CNG as main fuel there was a need to improve quality of all the CNG workshops, which fit CNG kits in the vehicles.

The CNG stations owned by major companies follow higher quality standards, whereas many CNG stations owned by individuals do not have required knowledge to upgrade quality accordingly, a member of the association said.