Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which consists largely of methane, is used cautiously all over the world and that too mostly for heavy transport vehicles. This is because the CNG tank is like a live bomb, ready to go off in situations like a traffic accident, a big jolt on a bumpy road, cigarette lighting, and the poor quality of the tank itself. In heavy vehicles it can be safely enclosed but not in small ones. In a country like ours with a hotchpotch vehicular traffic and use of substandard materials it is not an ideal fuel to use in the vehicles. Moreover, because of its cheaper price, unnecessary outings in CNG cars have become commonplace clogging the roads and resulting in wastage of the precious gas. There are also reports of unlimited theft of gas at CNG stations through the connivance of station owners and the Sui gas authorities amounting to a loss of billions of rupees.
There is a limited amount of gas produced in our country and if this was used to produce cheap electricity instead, the whole economy would benefit enormously. The Sui gas authorities have banned the use of gas-run generators at homes. This appears to be under pressure from the UPS importers who stand to lose billions if gas is allowed for generators. For the common man, a gas generator is much more economical and useful than a UPS because a small generator costs much less than a UPS and is much easier to maintain.
The Sui gas authorities are requested to allow the use of less than 3 KW generators which use gas equal to one hearth-burner, and ban only the ones that can run air-conditioners. Otherwise the public will be forced to think that they too are enjoying large commissions from the UPS companies. I therefore humbly request the Government of Pakistan to ban the use of CNG for cars and wagons and allow it only for heavy public transport vehicles under strict supervision. Also small gas generators may kindly be allowed for domestic use.
MUHAMMAD SADIQ,
Muzaffargarh, July 13.