Daily Times

KARACHI: Commuters in Karachi and elsewhere in parts of Sindh faced immense problems in reaching their destinations and workplaces due to closure of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations on account of shortfall in gas supply on Wednesday.

CNG Association also announced protest against Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) statement that gas entity had stopped gas supply to CNG stations across Sindh for indefinite period. Meanwhile, member of Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI) community also kept their public transport off the roads in protest. The members of both associations also staged protests outside SSGC office against frequent supply of gas to stations.

As a result, a large number of public transport users were stranded long hours at bus stops in all parts of Karachi. A thin number of public transport including buses, mini buses and CNG rikhshaws plied on roads on charging higher fares than normal rates.

Commuters in other major and small cities of Sindh also faced difficulties in traveling towards places. A member of CNG Association said that Association would block main arteries in Karachi including Shahrah-e-Faisal if SSGC would not announce to resume gas supply to CNG station by today (Thursday).

A spokesperson of SSGC while clarifying the situation said that supply to CNG stations was discontinued due to technical faults in a gas field. He said that gas supply also remained suspended to industrial units run by captive power plants in Karachi for three months. “Steps are being taken to restore gas supply to those hard hit areas including commercial and domestic consumers after normalizing gas supply pressure,” he added.

SSGC to resume gas to CNG sector as soon as supply improves

The management of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) held a meeting with the representative bodies of CNG associations and station owners at the company Head Office on Wednesday.

Explaining the reasons behind suspending gas to the CNG sector, SSGC officials reiterated that the company system was faced with a total shortfall of 200 mmcfd gas that had compelled it to manage the load by suspending supplies to CNG stations in compliance with the sectorial priority order for gas load management as fixed by the Government of Pakistan.

The CNG sector representatives expressed their concern at the suspension of gas and said that it was affecting their operations and public at large. The management explained to the CNG stations owners that the SSGC system was already facing a shortfall of 150 mmcfd which had worsened abruptly due to technical issues being faced by Gambat and Kunnar-Pasakhi Gas Fields, resulting in further shortfall of around 50 mmcfd.

The management said that the rising shortfall had also led to suspension of gas supplies to captive power plants in accordance with the gas load management plan. “In addition, gas supply to power and fertilizer sector has been further slashed to manage load better,” explained the management.

The management dispelled the impression that CNG had been shut for an indefinite period and assured the CNG stations’ owners that as soon as gas supplies from the fields increases leading to a improved line pack, SSGC would resume supplies to the CNG sector. The management said that SSGC was reviewing demand-supply situation and as soon as there was any improvement in gas supplies, it would take steps to facilitate its CNG customers.

Published in Daily Times, December 13^th 2018.