THE relief the Supreme Court provided to people while reducing CNG prices has proved short-lived. Right now [people] have almost been deprived of the facility due to a cold war between CNG station owners, the government and Ogra. The incompetent government and the plundering owners of CNG stations are foiling the Supreme Court’s attempt to provide relief to people. Can the CNG owners suspend the supply without the government’s backing? Certainly not because there exist options like cancelling their licences or taking over their gas stations. But Ogra did not use them….

The CNG crisis has deepened in Punjab and Balochistan. Its supply has also been suspended to industry in Punjab sine die. The LPG mafia has begun exploiting the situation too, selling the commodity at rates higher than the ones fixed by Ogra….

The authority … has decided to launch a countrywide operation against the LPG marketing companies…. But there is also a need to initiate similar action against the owners of CNG stations…. The CNG facility should altogether be withdrawn if there is a gas shortage…. A proposal to allow CNG only to small cars and public transport has been floated but again an effective plan would have to be made to implement this idea.

Ironically, the petroleum division has decided to link CNG prices to those of petrol in sheer violation of the Supreme Court’s orders…. The government must adopt a strategy to overcome the gas crisis with all seriousness, and ensure its uninterrupted supply to people and industry.—(Dec 13)

Selected and translated by Intikhab Hanif.