Editorial

Fake CNG fitness certificates

The problem of unfit CNG cylinders is now multidimensional.

Editorial June 20, 2013

Can we expect any better in a country where those in positions of high influence and power possess fake degrees? PHOTO: FILE

There is a new kind of business that one may wish to capitalise on, if one is willing to travel down the illegal path. And if one needs tips, they can turn to the two men arrested on June 19 in Multan for issuing bogus CNG cylinder fitness certificates. However, one should then be ready to face derision by society because certainly, the issue of CNG cylinder fitness and safety is a serious one across the country and is one that has seen numerous deaths of innocent lives, especially in recent years. Some might remember the May 25 Gujrat van explosion that claimed the lives of 17 schoolchildren and one teacher, when the driver switched the van from gas to petrol. Sadly, this was not our first warning of the dire need for authorities to enforce CNG safety regulations in the country; there had been many other deaths prior to this incident.

The problem of unfit CNG cylinders is now multidimensional as not only are we concerned with a lack of safety regulations with regard to CNG kits, but there are crooks who are posing as transport officials issuing fake certificates without necessarily ensuring that CNG kits are safe. In this case, one of the two men was also pretending to be a fitness engineer — a title that requires lengthy education, of which these two men might only have had little. Albeit, can we expect any better in a country where those in positions of high influence and power possess fake degrees?

While it must be welcomed that there was a crackdown on these culprits, we must press the authorities to catch any other persons pretending to issue valid CNG fitness certificates. Perhaps, we might need a large-scale crackdown, including one to catch the third person involved in this incident. Let the authorities make an example out of these men for anyone else thinking about making a mockery of a serious problem that has killed many people in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2013.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.

COMMENTS (1)

Akbar Khan | 11 years ago | Reply

Simply catching culprit is not going to achieve anything. There should be very strict accountability of the culprits and should be placed behind bars for life and huge crippling fines be penalized upon their business.

This basically means, to intentionally / knowingly risking ordinary people lives. Same thing applies to pharmaceutical companies that are playing with lives of ordinary pakistanis by producing substandard drugs (for the pharma owners substandard drug means profit but for the consumer it is death).

Replying to X