LAHORE - The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) has also rejected hike in the price of natural gas, terming it highly damaging for masses and the CNG industry.

The decision to increase tariff of gas by forty percent will take the toll on masses and destroy the troubled CNG industry, it said.

The closure of CNG industry will leave many jobless, said the central leader of APCNGA Ghiyas Paracha. He said that government has turned down the proposal to increase the price of petrol to provide relief to masses, therefore, it should reverse the decision to increase gas tariff for CNG industry to shield poor.

Ghiyas Paracha said that the closure of the CNG industry will increase the oil import bill damaging forex reserves and adding to the uncontrollable deficit.

He noted that the government claimed that the poor were insulated from the gas price hike which proved otherwise as CNG is consumed by the poor.

He added that the price of gas for CNG sector has been revised from September 27 without informing us the way to recover it from the customers.

The leader of the CNG sector said that the upward revision in the gas price, additional taxes and hike in electricity rates has reduced the difference between the price of CNG and petrol which will bring CNG industry to an end. He called upon the government to protect the CNG sector otherwise the cost of public transport and transportation of goods will jump while masses will have to switch on petrol resulting in heavy losses.