CNG price increased by Rs1.02 per kg

Hike came in the wake of high oil and power prices.

ISLAMABAD:

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on Wednesday increased the price of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) by Rs1.02 per kilogramme across the country effective from Thursday in line with the rise in electricity tariff and petroleum product prices.

The government recently increased oil prices from Rs1.8 to Rs9.32 per litre. The hike in CNG prices is another blow to the consumers who are already reeling from the high oil prices.

Now CNG price will be Rs56.8 per kg for consumers in Sindh and Punjab and Rs59.57 per kg for consumers of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Potohar Region (Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Gujar Khan).

“Adjustment in CNG prices has been necessitated owing to the hike in electricity tariff, increase in prices of petroleum products and increase in electricity outages across the country. The prices will stay in place till such time any further notification is issued,” Ogra said in a statement.

The Ogra notification also said that prices had been fixed in accordance with the decision of the Economic Coordination Committee in July 2009.

The All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) welcomed the increase in CNG prices, saying it was a sigh of relief for the sector which was facing the worst crisis due to gas and electricity outages.

Meanwhile, Adviser to Prime Minister on Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain met with officials of APCNGA and discussed the problems faced by them. Hussain said that the solution to the shortage of natural gas depended on better planning, efficient management of resources and coordination among all stakeholders.

He pointed out that authorities were taking stern action against defaulters and recovering the money they owed to gas companies.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2011.