RAWALPINDI, Sept 23: Despite the fact that the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) industry is booming, the country lacks any technical institute that can provide training to CNG station workers in operating the equipment.

Untrained staff was operating almost all CNG stations with no knowledge of safety standards.

The owners of CNG stations exploit the unemployed youth and pay them minimum salary by hiring their services for a 12-hour shift without any benefits.

Many workers claim that owners of CNG stations deduct salaries in case of absence from duty or illness. Ironically, officials of the labour departments are silent over such exploitation.

In the absence of trained staff, these CNG stations are exposed to threat of mishaps, which would not only affect the workers but also the customers and the people residing in the vicinity.

Strangely, the government regulations allow establishment of CNG stations even in residential areas. The presence of such stations in close proximity to residential areas in Rawalpindi and Islamabad is testimony to the government regulations that hardly provide for the safety of nearby houses.

The All Pakistan CNG Association has finally realised that the growing industry needs technical and trained hands. The association is negotiating with the Punjab government for the establishment of a modern CNG Technical Training Institute.

It is also launching next month the first-ever technical training programme for CNG station workers, focusing on management and techniques for handling CNG station as well as equipment to ensure the enforcement of safety standards.

The Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan (HDIP) will provide technical support to the association for organising the training sessions.

According to Raja Shuja Anwar, acting chairman of the All Pakistan CNG Association, the pilot training project will jointly be funded by the Rural Support Programme Network (RSPN), Civil Junction (Islamabad), Subaoon (Peshawar) and the association.

About 300 educated youth from NWFP, Fata and Rawalpindi and Islamabad will benefit from the training project. The training will help produce technically-trained workforce for CNG stations.