All Pakistan CNG Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (APCNGA-KP) chapter has warned to close down CNG filling stations across the province against the revised and recent unprecedented hike in gas prices. Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, the APCNGA KP Zone Chairman Fazal Muqeem Khan said that the gas tariff has gone up by 71 per cent with imposition of various taxes on the CNG sector during last 10 months
He said the CNG sector which is already facing multiple problems will become unfeasible after the gas price hike which would waste investments of Rs 450 billion in the industry and leave hundreds of thousands unemployed. He called for the exclusion of the sector from the hike in gas prices
Fazal Muqeem said that the CNG tariff has increased from Rs700 to Rs 1283. He said that the continuous unjust hike in CNG prices would waste the aforementioned huge investment as well as rendering thousands of people jobless attached with this important sector.
Furthermore, he said that CNG sector is already paying more than any other sector for natural gas while an additional burden of 83 percent on this sector will be unbearable.
We reject the unprecedented hike in gas tariff, Muqeem Khan said, and urged the government to immediate withdraw its decision; otherwise the CNG owners will shut their pumps and observe strike across the province.
The Association chairman informed that transporters have also increased fares by 40 to 50 per cent after showing upward trend in CNG prices. He said that there was no distinction between utilization of petrol and CNG following the price hike.
He said the cost of doing business is increasing with the passage of time, which ultimately affecting their businesses. He urged the government to bring down prices of gas to prevent from business and job losses.
Flanked by office bearers of the association, Fazal Muqeem said that the provincial government has shifted the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit Project from diesel to CNG so that would also escalate cost of the project, subsequently loss to the provincial exchequer. He expressed fear that if the prices of CNG charge with ratio of recently increased gas tariff, then the CNG stations will be closed down in the province.
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