The Sui-Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) is to restore two days a week gas supply to CNG outlets in Punjab, which was suspended on December 10, 2013 owing to low gas pressure. According to officials, the gas utility was to restore gas supply to these sectors on February 28, 2014, but due to recent rains in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces the company did not restore gas supply to CNG outlets of the Punjab, but now the company is going to restore two days a week gas supply to CNG stations in Punjab.
Sources said that the restoration of gas supply to CNG outlets in Punjab is not expected in the ongoing month and it is expected that the SNGPL will restore gas supply to CNG stations by the end of March or in the start of April, 2014. Gas supply to the CNG stations of Potohar region was restored on the directives of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), but in other parts of the Punjab gas supply is still suspended and no decision in this connection has been taken hitherto, an official of the petroleum ministry said.
The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA), while welcoming the SNGPL's decision to restore two days a week gas supply to CNG outlets, has requested the government to restore at least four days a week gas supply to CNG outlets. The APCNGA further blamed the influential Captive Power Plants (CPPs) for the current CNG crisis.