THE country is facing a crisis of energy and the CNG crisis is the worst. The adviser to the prime minister for petroleum, Dr Asim Hussain, is bent on closing the CNG sector without realising that over Rs100 billion is invested in this sector and more than 30,000 people are earning their livelihood through this industry.

Every now and then he announces that the CNG sector will be closed down in phases. What we are observing is that it is not the CNG sector but the people ho are being killed in phases as they are being slow-poisoned and being victimised for a crime which they have not committed.

Initially, it was the policy of successive government to promote CNG as an alternative fuel because it was safe, environment-friendly and cheap to help minimise the foreign exchange required for the import of oil.

If there are one million CNG users in the country and every single users wasting an hour to get his vehicle CNG cylinder filled, then on average one million hours of this nation are wasted the day CNG is closed.

Do you know what one million hours mean? It comes around 115 years of precious time this poor nation is wasting by waiting in the queue for getting their CNG cylinders filled.

If at all it is necessary to wipe out the CNG sector, the adviser should do it at once instead of killing the people by giving them so much mental and physical torture.

It is perceived that at the moment there is no dearth of CNG in the country and it will be cruel to make ground for the import of LNG.

Also, why cannot LNG be used as an alternative source of energy without disturbing the present CNG sector which is providing relief to the people?

The government should raise this issue in the parliament and find an amicable solution to this problem?

DR MIRZA ALI AZHARKarachi