Rawalpindi restaurant owners and traders have condemned the “forced conversion” of commercial connections to re-gasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG).
They also threatened to stage a strong protest if the government did not withdraw a recently issued notification, which did away with the 1962 tariff agreement clinched with the traders and restaurants of Islamabad and Rawalpindi for the provision of natural gas.
Earlier, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) issued a notification to convert 2,700 commercial connections in the twin cities to the RLNG.
The restaurants and traders said that the conversion to the RLNG will bring such a storm of inflation that the restaurant industry will be completely closed and millions of people will be rendered jobless.
They threatened that, if their demands were not met, a nationwide strike will be called.
All Rawalpindi Restaurant Association President Chaudhry Muhammad Farooq while addressing the core committee meeting said that the restaurant owners have not yet been able to pay back the loans they took from various channels to salvage their businesses during the coronavirus epidemic, the government has dropped a bomb by changing the gas tariff.
They said that small restaurants will not be able to continue with the business because of the inflated price of the RLNG. Farooq said that they contacted the government in this regard but the latter refused to accept their demands.
He said they also met with former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi but instead of showing a businessman-friendly attitude, he treated them with disdain and the gas meters will be removed in case of non-compliance.
Farooq said “this attitude of the government is beyond comprehension. We do not want to go for protest keeping in view the ongoing protests and the country's economy, but they will be forced to stage a country-wide protest and strike if the government did not reverse the decision”.
He warned that if their demands were not met, they would give a country-wide protest call. He said that if the government did not withdraw the notification by tomorrow, they will take to the streets.
He appealed to the Supreme Court chief justice to take notice of the issue to save the livelihood of millions of people.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 1st, 2022.
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