KOHAT: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Petroleum Dealers Association’s Kohat division chairman Amjid Shinwari here on Saturday termed illegal the continuous raids on filling stations by the assistant commissioner.

He claimed that the AC had imposedexorbitant Rs50,000 to Rs60,000fines in the absence of legal authorities and regretted that he did not accompany the officials of the labour department and other legal authorities to check the papers.

Addressing a press conference at Kohat Press Club, Mr Shinwari set a one-week deadline for the official to stop the practice and said otherwise they would shut down the pumps.

He said they had complete certifications and invoices issued by the PSO.

He deplored that the officials had been fining them for the expired fire extinguishers of 2022 for which they had one relaxation to buy new ones for 2023. The samewas the case with the NOCs.

QUEUES FOR CNG: The CNG bowser tanks are attracting long queues of public transport and private vehicles at two filling stations in the wake of one month ban on SNGPL pumps till Jan 31.

Additional assistant commissioner Nisar Mohammad, meanwhile, raided a pump and gave three hours deadline to stop selling CNG at Rs269 per kg.

The owner took the plea that they did not come under the purview of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, but had been deregulated and free to charge at any rate.

The pumps selling the CNG did not affect domestic consumers as they had no direct SNGPL supply line.

However, it was learnt that the tanks called bowsers were filled at the SNGPL plant at Nishpa. The gas was compressed at the plant, filled in the tanks and then provided to pump owners.

One of two pumps was located near the MP Gate and the other at KDA town.

Published in Dawn, january 8th, 2023