ISLAMABAD - Since country’s once robust CNG sector is striving hard to secure its existence owing to the PPP government’s anti-CNG policies to ‘benefit influential energy mafia’, the CNG association Wednesday announced to go for hunger strike from March 12 in protest.
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“We will protest anti-CNG policies of the government, unjust gas distribution, 5-day gas loadshedding for CNG sector in Punjab and continuous discrimination by authorities,” said Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha, Chairman Supreme Council APCNGA.
Speaking to a press conference held here, he said that all the concerned departments have been harassing CNG operators while false cases are being registered against CNG owners to discourage APCNGA.
Paracha said that all the concerned authorities have been directed to continue annoy CNG operators continuously after March 16 when assembles will be dissolved.
He informed that concerned top officials have been warned them of dire consequences if they showed any reluctance in penalising CNG sector which is total disregarded of the law and very unfortunate.
The five-day gas loadshedding in Punjab is unacceptable as it amounts to punishing 80 million masses living in that province, Paracha added.
The leaders of the CNG sector said that some top government functionaries, hand in glove with petrol and liquid gas mafia, have laid siege to the CNG sector aiming its annihilation, which cannot be allowed under any circumstances.
Government has been using energy crisis to reap dividends by promoting influential energy mafia, which is worst kind of exploitation masses have ever suffered in history of Pakistan, he added. Paracha said that never in the history of this country such hardship was created for the public to ensure personal prosperity.
Similarly, he added, never before such pervasive corruption has been recorded in the petroleum ministry, which has shaken the foundations of the country leaving it to the mercy of plotters and international lenders.
Ghiyas Paracha demanded reversal of all the anti-CNG moves, abandoning projects, which are to benefit few and reduce gas load shedding duration in Punjab.
Meanwhile CNG filling stations owners while demanding implementation of Oct 04, 2011 directives have asked Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf for provision of gas as non-serious attitude of bureaucracy has put the Rs 10 billion investment at stake. The owners have said that they are not being provided with gas since one and a half years despite directives of the PM and court order which is ravaging their Rs 10 billion investments.
Mubashir Hussain and Chaudhry Liaquat along with representatives of the CNG owners of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa region said that government is sending very negative signals to the investor community by depriving them of their right to run businesses.
Speaking at a press conference here, they said that on October 04, 2011 the Prime Minister had issued orders to provide gas to our CNG outlets but it could not be implemented due to friction between petroleum ministry and Ogra.
On Jan 01, 2013 the PM secretariat again issued directives for supply of gas which could not be implemented while the orders of High Courts directing implementation of PM’s orders were also violated by the all-powerful bureaucracy.
The ministry for petroleum and natural resources as well as Ogra are not interested in resolving problems, rather these warring organisations have become part of the problem, they observed. Mubashir Hussain and Chaudhry Liaquat questioned the stance of the government that establishing new CNG stations will enhance the usage of gas; they said that new outlets would not boost consumption as it has nothing to do with expanding customers’ base.
They said that new CNG outlets would distribute load, which will relieve masses that have to wait for hours to get their tanks refilled. The CNG filling stations owners demanded of the prime minister to get his orders implemented to provide them with some relief as they are sandwiched between politicians and bureaucracy of two departments.
