KARACHI - Despite an announcement by the CNG Association that compressed gas supply to the metropolis shall be restored on Saturday, gas stations remained closed throughout the day. Some gas stations opened in the morning. However, the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) issued notices to them and instructed them to begin operations by afternoon.
After a six-day hiatus in CNG supply, commuters queued outside fuel stations in anticipation that CNG service shall be restored, thereby causing tailback of traffic outside gas stations.
The Sui Southern Gas Company had halted gas supply to the CNG sector across the province for an indefinite period. However, it was later discovered that Sindh’s gas was being supplied to Punjab. Other than Karachi, CNG supply had also been halted in Hyderabad and parts of interior Sindh. During this period, less availability of public transport across the city led to difficulties for commuters.
The assurance that gas supply shall be restored came on Friday during a meeting of a delegation led by Federal Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah at the CM House. During the meeting, the CM said the natural gas closure in Sindh is a violation of the Article 158 of the Constitution and it has rendered thousands of industrial workers and transporters jobless, while also causing serious problems for the domestic consumers.