"We are observing three days of shut-down as per schedule and we are not in favour of a strike," said the owners of the CNG station in South Punjab. APCNGA South Punjab Chapter spokesman Rana Shiraz Bashir, "We will open our filling stations on Thursday as per routine".
Those who were on strike since Monday at the call of the All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) said "we have closed down our outlets as a last resort as we were unable to pocket more losses". CNG business is no more viable as recent developments have left owners of filling stations with no option but to take loans to pay the utility bills and salaries, they said. APCNGA South Punjab Chapter spokesman Rana Shiraz Bashir said, "We do not want to burden the masses, therefore the government should introduce uniform rates of gas and uniform taxation to provide relief to the masses".
CNG consumers should not be made to share the burden of other influential sectors, he stressed. He said that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has accepted in yesterday's negotiations that the CNG sector was overtaxed and gave the assurance that it would raise the issue with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to decide the CNG price after November 28.