Public transport thin as CNG stations stay closed

Gas supply stopped for 24 hours due to field maintenance.

KARACHI: The closure of compressed natural gas (CNG) stations on Tuesday hit the daily commuters hard in Karachi because most of the public transport remained off the roads which could not get required fuel, travellers say.

Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) on Monday announced one-day closure of CNG stations in Karachi and other cities of Sindh due to 24-hour shutdown of Zamzama gas field. SSGC said that CNG associations had already been informed on Saturday that there would be a 24-hour shutdown of gas supply from 12 noon on Tuesday to 12 noon on Wednesday.

In the past, only private cars with CNG kits used to be affected by closure of CNG stations, but the situation has totally changed over the past few months. A large number of public buses have switched from diesel to CNG, but the shift has not given any relief to the commuters as transporters still charge the same fares, though CNG is much cheaper than diesel, commuters say.

All Pakistan CNG Association’s former central chairman Junaid Makda said more than 70 per cent of public buses in Karachi had been converted to CNG. He said CNG station operators informed the government about this fast change in the industry but the government was yet to take a decision.

At present, CNG accounts for around eight per cent of total gas consumption in the country. Analysts warn that CNG usage will increase, creating problems for the country at a time of gas shortages.

They also say CNG use in the transport sector is the least productive usage of the fuel, which should be discouraged. Instead, they say CNG should be supplied to manufacturing industries which do most of the value addition.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2011.