Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha, Chairman Supreme Council of APCNGA, said that the non-serious and non-professional attitude of some officials in the Petroleum Ministry and Oil and Gas Regulatory authority (OGRA) was destroying the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) industry wherein people have invested around Rs 400 billion.
Paracha said that the controversial decisions of the Petroleum Ministry would hurt millions of people, but authorities seem unconcerned about the plight of the masses.
Ogra has rejected reports of its own staff, while the reports of independent auditors have been overruled, which has prolonged the current crisis, adding to the miseries of the masses, he said.
Paracha said that CNG stakeholders cannot trust decisions of bureaucrats who have pushed the country into never-ending energy crisis with no relief in sight. He said that CNG operators had invested over Rs 260 billion, while the owners of 3.7 million vehicles, who have spent Rs 104 billion on cylinders and kits, cannot be left on the mercy of some officials.
So far, the CNG owners have suffered losses to the tune of Rs 4 billion in last 53 days while the government has lost revenue to the tune of Rs 12 billion. Daily loss of the former stands at Rs 8 crore, while of the later it is Rs 23 crore, he informed. Paracha said that shortage of CNG has pushed up oil import bill, which is one of the reasons behind sliding rupee value versus US dollar, which is a great threat to the economy. He said that one thousand small CNG stations will shut operations in few days due to losses. The Government is forcing masses and CNG operators to take to streets to resolve the issue, he warned.