PESHAWAR - Office bearers and owners of the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) filling stations owners’ Associations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have threatened to move the apex court after Eid-ul-Fitr if the government did not announce a special gas tariff relief package for the lockdown affected CNG sector.
While addressing a joint news conference here yesterday, President Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Maqsood Anwar along with Chairman, All Pakistan CNG Association Fazal Muqeem Khan and Chairman Real CNG Association Hammad Khan and office bearers here at the chamber said that the government is using delaying tactics to announce a relief to the lockdown affected CNG sector, which is unjust and tantamount to ruin the sector.
They said that CNG was the only sector, which is environment friendly and helpful in eradication of environmental pollution, besides more than 0.5 million employees were associated with this sector.
They said that the government’s alleged apathy towards the CNG sector is highly regrettable and deplorable. They added that the investment worth millions of rupees in CNG sector will go into waste, if the government could not review its policy towards this sector.
The association president said that owing to the prolonged lockdown, the business and commercial activities including the CNG sector were badly affected.
On the occasion, the chamber president Maqsood urged the government to announce and extend a special gas tariff relief package for the CNG sector while keeping in view the prevailing circumstances. He demanded that the natural gas tariff for CNG sector, which is being charged Rs1283 per MMBUTU, should be reduced at Rs700 per MMBUTU (special gas tariff) for CNG sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The chamber president called to charge electricity tariff on general industrial tariff, and demanded to allow payment of upcoming month gas bill of May, June and July in shape of 12-month instalments in order to rescue the CNG industry.
