MANSEHRA: Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations on Saturday suspended gas supply to vehicles across the district throughout the day.

“We have suspended gas supply to vehicles after the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Company switched off supplies to us due to a technical fault in the main lines,” Basit Khan, an operator of a local CNG station, told reporters.

The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Company (SNGPL) suspended natural gas supply to CNG stations across Mansehra and the rest of Hazara Division due to a technical fault in the main lines.

Motorists and transporters returned without refueling their vehicles as CNG stations remained closed in the city and its suburban areas. “We have been informed by the SNGPL that gas supply to CNG stations will likely be restored by early Sunday morning,” Mr Basit said.

Company says suspension caused by technical fault

TMA TAKES POSSESSION OF BUS TERMINAL: Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA), backed by a heavy police contingent, on Saturday took possession of the central bus terminal after arresting dozens of members of the Hazara Transport Union to avoid any backlash.

“We arrested scores of transporters before initiating the operation to take backcontrol of the central bus terminal after decades,” a police official told reporters.

A heavy police contingent carried out pre-dawn raids across the district, arresting dozens of office-bearers of the Hazara Transport Union and shifting them to undisclosed locations.

Police, however, did not confirm whether union’s president Jan Alam and general secretary Pervez Khan had been arrested or had gone into hiding before the raids.

Later in the day, a large police force stormed the main bus terminal and officials of TMA Mansehra took control and deployed hawkers, booking and ticketing staff.

“The entire process of repossessing the bus terminal was completed peacefully, as drivers and staff engaged in ticketing, booking and other duties did not offer any resistance and continued their work as usual,” the police official said.

Transport services continued uninterrupted and passengers were transported to their respective destinations across the country as usual.

According to TMA officials, the transporters’ union had occupied the bus terminal for decades and had been collecting taxes and issuing route permits to passenger transporters in violation of the government laws.

“All taxes falling under the jurisdiction of TMA were being collected by the union, causing finical loses to national exchequers and the annual lease of the terminal could not generate revenue due to this illegal practice,” a TMA official present on the occasion said.

A high-level meeting held in Abbottabad the other day, chaired by the provincial minister for local government and higher education Mian Khan Afridi, and attended by the commissioner Hazara, Fayyaz Ali Shah, former KP assembly speaker Mushtaq Ghani and heads of various departments had decided to take over control of the Mansehra central bus terminal to increase revenue for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2026