Ogra pushing country towards another crisis
- September 19, 2013, 7:15 pm
- Business News
- 107 Views
ISLAMABAD Sept 19 (Online): The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Thursday said Oil and Gas Regulator Authority (Ogra) is pushing country towards another severe crisis on the behest of powerful LPG mafia.
The hydrocarbon regulator has issued another illegal order asking provinces to remove all the CNG cylinders from the commercial vehicles disregarding the fact that they have been cleared by almost a dozen of other government departments, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President PEW.
He said that all the provinces, especially Punjab has started acting upon the unlawful and unclear directives of the Ogra without considering its outcome.
The controversial decision has left owners of Toyota Hiace, Suzuki pickups and taxis on the mercy of police and provincial transport authorities. CNG cylinders are being removed from hundreds of vehicles while hundreds others ferrying masses have already gone off the road indefinitely, he said.
Dr. Murtaza Mughal said that Ogra wants to destroy the transportation system in Pakistan as around one million vehicles operating commercially are using CNG fuel while 80 million use public transport fuelled by the alternative and clean energy.
Commercial vehicles consume a lot of gas which have forced them to install additional cylinders due to CNG loadshedding, he said adding that nowhere in the world there is any law limiting the number of CNG cylinders or specifying their location in vehicles.
However, Dr. Mughal said, the regulator has been playing negative role by violating its own rules for petty interests, it has failed to make any law or ensured amendment in the existing CNG laws in the last 21 years.
Supreme Court in 2009 directed massive conversion of commercial transport on CNG to cut down pollution in urban centres which also reduced oil import bill.
He called upon the CNG operators to defy the orders which are part of a conspiracy to deprive masses of economical fuel.
