RAWALPINDI: The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) on Tuesday demanded that filling stations dispensing Compressed natural gas (CNG) in Sindh and Punjab be allowed to operate round-the-clock because the current 12-hour schedule was unacceptable to them.

The CNG stations in Punjab and Sindh have not even remained open for 40 hours over the past 40 days and this has adversely affected 300,000 jobs. Therefore, non-stop operations for a full year should be allowed for the stations, said APCNGA’s central chairman Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha in a statement.

Describing the “detrimental effe­cts” of the stations’ 12-hour schedule, the statement said that it increases oil import bill, resulting in substantial losses to CNG operators, with the government also losing sizeable revenue. There­fore, it added, the gas companies should immediately open CNG stations in Punjab and Sindh for non-stop operation.

Mr Paracha claimed that CNG stations remained open during the wintertime in the past five years, but in this winter season the stations were closed which, he said, was unjustified.

He said that because of this, Punjab’s CNG stations switched to costly re-gasified liquid natural gas over assurances by the government of continued supply for which they even deposited billions of rupees in advance and were ensured uninterrupted supply, but the government did not deliver on its promise.

Mr Paracha said that even though Sindh is a gas- and oil-producing province, the CNG stations were closed which was un­constitu­tional and also created anxiety among CNG operators and the general public.

Such decisions are harmful to the economy and for those relying on economical and clean fuel as many jobs are lost, he said.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2020