KARACHI, Nov 11: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has issued orders to two gas utility companies to stop gas supplies to 77 CNG stations all over the country after they were found using cylinders made in England for gas compression. The cylinders were the main cause for gas explosions resulting in loss of human lives.

However, the Ogra has asked the station owners to quickly replace the England-made cylinders so that the gas supply could be restored.

The authority has identified 77 stations in which 68 stations are located in Punjab and the NWFP, while four are in Karachi and five in the interior Sindh.

This was decided by the Ogra high ups during a meeting with the chairman CNG Dealers Association of Pakistan (CNGDAP) in Islamabad on Friday. The meeting was convened by Ogra over frequent complaints of CNG cylinder blasts in the country and to find out ways and means to prevent blasts and how to ensure safety and security of the consumers.

Giving details of the meeting with Ogra and oil and gas sector officials Chairman CNGDAP Abdul Sami Khan told Dawn that one of the CNG dealers in Karachi had confirmed that his supply of gas had been disconnected by Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC), while gas valves of other three stations would be turned off on Saturday night.

He said that a CNG station usually retains an average 48 cylinders in which the compressed gas is contained for onward supply to the dispensers through the pipelines. There is a possibility that the 77 identified pumps must have half of England made Worthington cylinders of (0.9809-2 specification), which the Ogra had banned. Sami Khan said that the association believes that the consumers’ safety comes first and dealers are being asked to expedite their efforts for replacing the cylinders.

Since petrol has become expensive in the last five years, there has been hardly 20 per cent sales of petrol at the pumps as people are fast switching-over to CNG from petrol, he said adding that more than 1.1 million cars, fitted with CNG kits, now ply on roads compared to 500 vehicles in 1990-91.

More than 1,100 CNG stations now operate all over the country. The government had already issued licenses to 3,811 more stations out of which more than 120 stations are in various stages of completion.

Mr Khan being the chairman of Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) also met officials of the petroleum ministry to again remind them about the increasing activities of illegal oil depots all over the country.

He said that the ministry officials gave the same stereo-type response to the demand of PPDA to curb the illegal operation of such depots.

He said that more than 3,000 illegal oil depots were now in operation all over the country where the operators sell smuggled Iranian petrol at reduced rates. Even many operators are mixing up Iranian products with the locally made oil products.

For instance, he said he had checked an oil depot at DG Khan where petrol was selling at Rs10 per liter less than the locally produced petrol, while diesel was selling at Rs5-6 per liter less than its original official price.

Out of more than 3,000 illegal depots more than 100 depots operate in Karachi, he said adding that he had filed an FIR at the police station against illegal operation of about 15 depots in Karachi but so far no action has been taken.