Karachi Transport Ittehad chief Irshad Bokhari said that transporters were helpless as could not resist the government-imposed closure plan. - File photo

KARACHI: Routine life in Karachi was affected as most public transport vehicles remained off the roads on Friday owing to a 24-hour closure of CNG (compressed natural gas) stations enforced by the government across Sindh. The city's CNG stations were closed at 9am.

Fewer people could reach their workplaces and attendance at educational institutions remained thin.

As majority of the buses and mini buses originally having diesel engines have been converted to CNG to save on cost. In the event of CNG stations closure, being enforced on a weekly basis since Nov 30, auto-rickshaws and taxis having engines with dual fuel facility (petrol and CNG) charge inflated fares from passengers to make a quick buck.

Crowds of commuters looking for a bus or minibus were seen at many bus stops and jostling each other to board one dropping there with an unusually longer period of time. Many had to catch a bus or minibus going towards a place nearer to their destination.

The remarkably fewer number of public transport vehicles playing on roads into the evening appeared to be those with diesel engine which have not been converted to CNG, the relatively cheaper fuel. They were mostly overcrowded with extra passengers travelling on the footboard and rooftop, besides clinging to the windows.

Woman passengers were the worst-affected as transport operators in such a situation always prefer to male passengers, who could easily be pushed into the crowd or sent to the rooftop to pack the vehicle to its maximum.

Major markets, bazaars and shopping centres like Saddar, M.A. Jinnah Road and Boulton Market wore a deserted look while attendance at government and private offices remained thin due to unavailability of transport means.

Operators of public transport vehicles, meanwhile, have expressed their utter dismay over the regular closure of fuel and stayed puzzled over how they could survive on their business amid the adverse conditions.

Karachi Transport Ittehad chief Irshad Bokhari said that transporters were helpless as could not resist the government-imposed closure plan.

He also ruled out conversion of bus and minibus engines back to diesel as not feasible. “Owners of the public transport vehicles have already spent Rs200,000 to Rs250,000 on each vehicle to convert its engine to CNG fuel,” he said, adding that the reverse procedure would cost them the same amount of money. Besides, he said, diesel has become very expensive and it was no more feasible to make it a profitable business using diesel as fuel. “Fares are low but increasing them would be cruelty with commuters who could not afford inflated fares. Transport operators cannot resort to demanding a further increase in fares,” he said.

Mr Bokhari said the government had not approached the city-based transporters to chalk out a strategy to cope with the gas shortage. He suggested that instead of 24-hours closure, CNG stations should be shut down for a smaller duration, preferably during the night time so commuter could be saved from travel problems and the city's routine life was not affected. He said the transporters could help plan and manage the affair.