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GUJRANWALA, Jan 5: The body of transport owners has protested, what it says, excessive challans and heavy fines on buses by wardens and the Regional Transport Authority (RTA). The body threatened with a wheel-jam strike if the action was not halted immediately.
Transport Federation President Mian Muhammad Ilyas told a press conference here on Monday that transport operators had braved a 100 per cent increase in the prices of spare parts, mobil oil, fuel and toll, and the government had not facilitated them. He demanded that the government bar traffic wardens from imposing heavy fines on them or they would go on a strike.
A city traffic official said violation of traffic laws would not be tolerated. RTA Secretary Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor said bus owners were charging excessive fares from commuters despite a cut in oil prices.
BAN ON GAS CONNECTIONS: The Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited has banned new connections for CNG stations and industries till February, says Regional Senior Engineer Imran Altaf Sahi.
He said the ban was to avoid an increase in the consumption of gas by CNG stations and industrial units. He said the company would, however, continue receiving applications for CNG stations as usual for consideration at some later stages.
He said demand for gas was about 200 million cubic feet in the region whereas the supply was 145 million cubic feet. He said all industrial and commercial consumers had been informed about gas loadshedding some two months ago. He said the gas supply would be better by the end of February. Also, CNG station owners announced they would implement all decisions by their association in Karachi.
At a meeting presided over by Mahr Ashraf, CNG station owners said their businesses were being destroyed by enhancing CNG prices. They alleged that gas companies had failed to stop theft and leakage of gas and now wanted to close industries and CNG stations.
