Public transporters in Islamabad and Rawalpindi observed a strike on Thursday against the absence of a clear and comprehensive policy from the federal government regarding the installation of CNG kits.
“Transporters are confused without a clear policy regarding the positioning of CNG cylinders in vehicles said Rawalpindi-Islamabad Transport Union President Malik Muhammad Sultan, adding that they get harassed by police daily on the basis of having CNG kits inside their vehicles and have to pay heavy fines.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Sultan said though the public transporters were willing to give the authorities some time to come up with a clear policy, the treatment meted out to them by the police had forced them to go on strike.
He said the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) had ordered that ‘no CNG kit be installed in the passenger compartment’, adding that kits in public transport vehicles can only be installed in the passenger compartment as there is no other place.
Public transporters are very concerned about the safety and protection of all the passengers and are ready to follow directions but they need a clear policy and also time to implement it, said Sultan. “We will call off the strike when we will get a clear policy,” he added.
Israr Hussain, a public transporter said that at pickets, the police have started extorting money from drivers on discovering a CNG cylinder inside the van. “We are suffering due to skyrocketing inflation and paying ‘bhatta’ to the police is adding to our miseries,” said Hussain. If the driver fails to pay the amount, the police straight away lock up the van and only release it after a ‘settlement,’ he added.
“The Ministry of Petroleum is responsible for regulating CNG supply and other related issues, not to decide where to install the CNG cylinders,” said Petroleum Secretary Abid Saeed while talking to this scribe. He said it was the responsibility of Ogra and not the ministry.
Ogra spokesman Afzal Bajwa said the authority had not changed its policy and public transporters were bound to follow Ogra rules. “The Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan, a department of Ministry of Petroleum, is responsible for looking after the installation of CNG cylinders and they should be able to answer all queries.”
Meanwhile, commuters of the twin cities suffered owing to the strike as they had to wait for hours to get public transport to reach their destinations. “For the last two hours I’m standing under the hot sun waiting for a van to take me back to Rawalpindi,” said Samina, a student who had come to Aabpara market in Islamabad for summer classes. Another commuter said taxi drivers were taking full advantage of the strike and were overcharging, but there was no choice.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 21st, 2013.
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