Due to insufficient supply of natural gas by the companies to CNG stations, business of more than 1,000 CNG stations out of total 1,923 stations is badly affected in Punjab and northern areas (NAs).
This was stated by Malik Khuda Baksh, Chairman and President of CNG Station Owners Association of Pakistan (CSOAP) at a press conference held here on Tuesday.
He said that around 70 percent of total CNG stations in Punjab and Northern areas had failed to facilitate CNG consumers due to unplanned strategy and mismanagement in handling the natural gas crisis in winter by natural gas companies.
According to association statistic, 1,923 CNG stations are operational while 1,211 CNG stations are in Punjab, four CNG stations are in Balochistan, one CNG station is in Azad Kashmir and 359 CNG stations are in Sindh.
However, out of total 1,211 CNG stations in Punjab, 233 CNG stations are installed at Lahore where natural gas is being supplied only for two hours at midnight to meet the demand of whole CNG vehicles across city, he added.
He said that due to serious gas crisis in Punjab, CNG station owners were facing problems to maintain their creditability among CNG consumers and failed in competing CNG station's expenditures under worse business condition.
He apprised that government had sanctioned 15pci natural gas pressure for CNG stations while contrary to approved load only 3 to 4pci was being supplied in Punjab and Northern areas CNG stations presently.
He added that CNG producing equipment were suffering from damages by insufficient gas pressure besides spoiling the creditability of CNG providers before CNG vehicle owners due to deficiency in filling CNG cylinders at required pressure.
"The gas crisis has reached up to 400 million cubic feet, presently and if government does not take serious measure to resolve it, country will face 800 million cubic feet gas deficit in coming months," Malik said.
He said that CSOAP had sent a proposal to concern authorities for evolving a strategy to provide natural gas on hourly basis with sanctioned gas pressure during gas crisis, which would help CNG owners to survive in winter season besides facilitating CNG consumers.
Around 1.62 millions cars have been converted on CNG across country so far, however 0.8 millions cars are being affected by natural gas crisis, badly, he maintained.
The CNG industry has saved Rs 2.2 billion foreign exchange on account of oil imports last year, he said and added that about Rs 3 billion has been saved during this year, as vehicles conversion onto the CNG fuel based system are on the rapid rise in the country.
He said that government was spending huge amount to import petroleum products therefore CNG fuel sector was being facilitated and developed rapidly, aimed to save huge amount besides providing pollution free environment.
Commenting on growing trend of using CNG in vehicles, he said that Pakistan would officially be announced as the largest CNG consuming country in the world, soon.
He said that industry was providing fuel at 50 percent lower rates aimed to facilitate the end-consumers besides making efforts to ensure pollution-free environment in the country.
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