According to one report, the ban will not affect small private vehicles upto 1000 c.c. That is hardly a consolation to small car owners because CNG price is likely to increase 40 percent, or increased sufficiently so that it is only 20 percent cheaper than petrol. This kindness too will not last since the ultimate aim is to totally ban the use of CNG for private vehicles; the CNG stations will be converted to, or rather encouraged to convert to LPG stations.
Preparation for this is already underway. There is a ban on import of CNG kits and cylinders and on setting up new CNG stations. Personally I resent it, since I had to pay more for my Suzuki Mehran because of the CNG. However, there is one good news: the thieves will not steal the cylinder. If you look at the theft records you will see that most of the vehicles that were stolen were primarily ones that ran on CNG, and mostly the smaller vehicles like mine, or the highrooof. If the whole car was not stolen atleast the cylinder was. Another good thing is the removal of the cylinder will give me back the boot space. But the poor thieves will be down to stealing small items, so watch out for the hubcaps and music system.
Do you believe there is shortage of natural gas for CNG? Most consumers don't. Most people supsect as false government's litany of limited energy resources. It is nothing but politics. Take the case of the terrific power shortage faced throughout the country before Mr Raja became Prime Minister. In Karachi the worse second hot weather comes in October. Was there a power shortage? Was there power riot anywhere in the city? Unfortunately, we cannot have two prime ministers. If we could, I would suggest nominating the PM's adviser on Petroleum, Dr Asim Hussain. The CNG shortage will disappear like magic, just as the electricity shortage since the appointment of Mr Raja (we are not allowed to use his famous sobriquet, unfortunately) as our prime minister. If there is a shortage it is not because there is actual shortage of natural gas but because no serious effort is on to explore new gasfields which we are told, are plentiful in Pakistan and can provide enough gas for the country's needs as well as for export.
Has any official cared to study the profile of the majority of private car owners? The small and medium cars in Karachi are owned by the majority of citizens with a fixed income. The mamouth cars are owned by a handful of filthy rich and the government, for their ministers and grade-20 bureaucrats. So as far as this city is concerned, gas consumption is not going to show a dramatic reduction. The foreseeable solution for the middle-class will be to sell their medium size cars and pruchase two small cars. They really will not be able to run their medium size cars on petrol, they will prefer CNG for as long as it is available. Afterwards, as they say in Urdu "Allah malik hai," that is, they will cross that bridge when they reach it. This future scenario also means small car sale will boost and, needless to say, prices will shoot up. So the wise Karachiites will buy their small car now. Hey, does this mean theft of small cars will also shoot up? O my God!
When prices of any consumer item shoot up, they cause inflation acorss the board. The public transport is exempt from the CNG ban. But they will use it as an excuse for increasing the fare. They did it when there was a wheat shortage, sugar shortage and power shortage, why will they not increase fares with a CNG ban on private cars? Everyone, not only public vehicle owners, but the tailor, the plumber, the dentist the doctor, the nan-baker, the beautician will up their rates. Who suffers? The wretched fixed income earners, which in Karachi is everybody except beggars a few industrialists and government officials.
I recall the time, seven years ago, when I was contemplating buying a new car. Petrol is too expensive, they said. You should get a car which also runs on CNG. I was not in favour of CNG. It reduces the life of the engine; gas is not as efficient as petrol, the car will move slower, I said. I even asked the advise of auto salesmen. Everyone remommended CNG-fitted car primarily becuase it was cheap fuel.
Recently, I took the car for minor repairs and to have the CNG cylinder inspected, since the car was five-year-old. The Suzuki workshop manager said: why do you want to run your car on CNG? Don't you realise it shortens the life of the engine. You do not have a longer daily run, so you can afford petrol. It will be better. Why do you want to buy cheap CNG? Cheap CNG? How things have changed. Now if I asked the advise of an auto salesman he would probably discourage me from buying a CNG fitted car. I would laugh, but the situation is not humorous.