KARACHI: Despite opening of CNG stations from 7am to 7pm on Sunday, many consumers faced problems due to low gas pressure at stations while many pumps remained inoperative due to very low pressure of gas supply from the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL), CNG station owners complained.

However, an official at the SSGCL did not agree with the claim of the CNG station owners.

Coordinator of Sindh Zone, All Pakistan CNG Association, Samir Najmul Hassan said that some 40 per cent of pumps out of 331 pumps in Karachi could not run their pumps owing to almost zero gas pressure, while 60pc pumps operated at gas pressure of 160-180psi instead of 200-220psi.

Consumers made long queue hours ahead of the opening of CNG outlets in the cold Sunday morning, but station owners kept their pumps closed due to lack of required pressure.

At other pumps, consumers waited for longer duration to get even low pressure gas at any cost.

Samir claimed that 28 pumps were closed at West Zone, four pumps each at Nishtar Road, North Nazimabad and 20 pumps in Korangi areas.

“In the last 13 days — pumps in the city have remained operational for only 42 hours,” he said.

Despite massive drop in CNG sale, he claimed that “station owners have so far not fired any worker or staffer from their job”.

Around 10-15 persons worked at a single pump depending on two shifts.

Giving a different view, another official at the All Pakistan CNG Association, Shoaib Khanjee claimed that 60 per cent of pumps were shut down out of over 330 CNG pumps in Karachi because of zero pressure in areas like Orangi Town, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, SITE area, Korangi, etc.

Chairman of CNG Dealers Association Abdul Sami Khan said: “It is true that gas at pumps in some areas of Karachi was not provided with required pressure.”

On the contrary, the SSGCL official, who asked not to be named, said the surveying team of the company had not reported any shut down of pump.

He said all CNG stations were open on Sunday owing to gas holiday at industrial sector.

Agreeing over low gas pressure at pumps, he said, “No pump was closed on Sunday from morning to evening.”

The official said gas supply situation would improve as 50mmcfd of gas from two new fields were coming up in the system from the first week of January 2,020.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2019