RAWALPINDI: The plight of motorists running vehicles on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) continued on Thursday, with CNG being available only from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Gas, usually available all day Monday and all day Thursday, remained unavailable on Monday. Motorists queued outside stations had to leave with empty cylinders pushing their cars to nearby petrol stations instead to buy the more expensive fuel.

Qazi Khalid, owner of filling station in Chaklala, told Dawn that Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) issued a letter on Thursday morning announcing that gas will only be supplied from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, for twelve less hours than usual. The excessive demand for gas by consumers due to the dropping temperatures was cited as the reason.

“Gas pressure was decreasing after 1:00 pm and after owners of CNG filling stations complained, SNGPL officials increased the pressures at 3:00 pm. However, supply was completely stopped after 5 pm,” he said.

Owners of CNG stations lashed out at All Pakistan CNG Association for not raising the issue with the government forcibly enough.

Majid Khan, an owner of a CNG Station said the APCNGA in a meeting at Islamabad Club on Thursday tried to convince people that the crises would end in the next few months so there was no need to raise the issue. —A Reporter

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2014