SWABI, Jan 15: Motorists, especially transporters, have complained CNG station owners are overcharging them on the pretext of power outages.

According to them, CNG station owners are using different excuses, including suspension of electric supply, to fleece them after the reduction of CNG price last year in light of a Supreme Court order.

They said it had become an uphill task for them to get CNG in the district.

The long queues of vehicles and auto-rickshaws were seen at CNG stations on Tuesday.

“I went to a CNG station at Swabi terminal at 7am, queued up until 3am for fueling up,” said Aamir Khan of Maneri Bala area.

He said the rush was seen after CNG station owners refused to run power generators.

The transporters alleged that when they ran generators, then owner of each CNG station charged around Rs26 per kilogramme more than the government rate.

They said the official rate of CNG was Rs74.40 per kg but CNG station owners charged Rs100 per kg without let or hindrance after running power generators.

Abbas Ali Khan, a motorist from Topi tehsil, said he hadn’t seen the administration officials ask CNG station owners for overcharging visitors.

He said whenever the people asked CNG station owners about profiteering, they stopped CNG sale by switching off power generators, telling visitors to move away.

The people demanded that the district administration crack down on CNG stations over overcharging.