Is government's writ not challenged?

LAHORE - The CNG mafia in connivance with the government is extorting million of rupees of helpless consumers on daily basis by charging Rs 3.45 per kg extra all over the country.

The so-called public friendly PPP-govt has given ‘go-ahead’ to the CNG mafia to charge additional Rs 3.45 per kg in the name of operational costs to pay the direct taxes imposed on the CNG stations by the government but avoid shutdown strike.

Sources in the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority further disclosed that the govt had allowed the CNG station owners to charge extra money from the motorists to keep their profit up but call off their strike in NWFP province.

“It (price-hike) is an outcome of an underhand deal between the top federal machinery and the CNG association. Both the federal and provincial governments have been ‘asked’ to keep mum over the situation and do not interfere in the matters of CNG station owners,” a high-ranking OGRA official told this scribe by phone on the condition of anonymity.  Interestingly, OGRA distanced itself from the CNG price hike, stating that it had no mandate to fix the CNG station operational costs, throwing the ball in the court of the CNG station owners to decide the new price according to their own choice. The sources claimed that the OGRA had been ‘asked’ to distance itself from the price- hike in order to avoid countrywide shutdown strike.

They further revealed that the government and the CNG body reached the ‘secret agreement’ shortly after the CNG association went on strike in NWFP to protest against the taxes imposed by the government.