Chairman supreme council of the association, Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha has written a letter to the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain to this effect.

The chairman said the association had been facing immense pressure from all the CNG station owners in Punjab to curb the three days gas load-management as it was badly affecting business.

Thus, he added, the government was needed to review the mandatory closure of CNG to filling stations and give relief to the consumers in the holy month of Ramadan.

He said if the government considered the association's appeal, the latter would fully cooperate to pass on full relief to the masses.

He was of the view the usage of CNG lowered in Ramadan due to less activity and mobilization and normal life routine changed in the holy month.

Similarly, he added, due to the Iftar, Taraveeh and Sehri, most of the people stay at home and did not use vehicles.

So, he said the consumption and demand of CNG remains low helped to make gas load management easier and did not necessitate to separately announce the gas closure.

He said due to the unjustified gas load-shedding by SNGPL, the people lined up for refilling their vehicles, braving the extreme weather conditions during the holy month.

He said the association had always tried to resolve problems through negotiations, but if the SNGPL continued to pursue anti-CNG consumers policies then the association would take extreme measures.

The chairman was of the view the closure of the CNG sector which was consuming only 7.2 percent of the gas could not help overcome the energy crisis and these load-shedding measures were tantamount to taking away right of inexpensive mode of transportation.

He said those persons who were advising policy makers to raise prices of the CNG consumed by around 4 million vehicles in no way were serving the citizens of the country.

He said the CNG sector had been providing inexpensive mode of transportation to the people and the sector was needed to be further promoted.

He said that some people who did not want the CNG sector to develop were actually trying to undermine people welfare oriented efforts of the government.

The association was assured the CNG sector would be given share out of the 125 mmcfd gas from Kunar Pasakhi field, adding it would go a long way in overcoming gas load-shedding for the sector.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011