CNG stations in Karachi remain closed despite assurances

Commuters queued outside stations in anticipation that CNG service shall be restored after six-day-long hiatus

KARACHI: Despite an announcement by the Compressed Natural Gas Association that CNG supply in the metropolis shall be restored today, gas stations remain closed, Express News reported on Saturday.

Some gas stations had opened in the morning. However, the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) issued notices to them and instructed them to begin operations by afternoon.

After a six-day-long hiatus in CNG supply, commuters queued outside fuel stations in anticipation that CNG service shall be restored, thereby causing tailback of traffic outside gas stations.

The Sui Southern Gas Company had halted gas supply to the CNG sector across the province for an indefinite period. However, it was later discovered that Sindh's gas was being supplied to Punjab.



Other than Karachi, CNG supply had also been halted in Hyderabad and parts of interior Sindh. During this period, less availability of public transport across the city led to difficulties for commuters.

The assurance that gas supply shall be restored came on Friday during a meeting of a delegation led by Federal Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah at the CM House.



During the meeting, the CM said the natural gas closure in Sindh is a violation of the Article 158 of the Constitution and it has rendered thousands of industrial workers and transporters jobless, while also causing serious problems for the domestic consumers.