One of the world’s weakest economical and infrastructural country Pakistan which is already facing energy crisis on massive level, may face one of the biggest disaster by over ruling Supreme Court’s decision on Natural Gas Prices.
Dawn Published Today :-
ISLAMABAD: The government has decided in principle to raise the price of compressed natural gas (CNG) by over 80 per cent to reduce its cost differential with competing fuel — petrol — and to discourage consumption of natural gas in the transport sector.
A senior government official told Dawn that the recommendation for the tariff hike had been made by the energy sector task force appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif under his national energy policy to divert scarce natural resource to power generation.
Under the decision, the CNG price will be raised from 49 per cent parity with petrol to 90pc. All relevant ministries and the prime minister have supported the move that will be presented to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) for approval.
As a result, the average sale price of CNG will go up from Rs73 per kg to about Rs133 per kg, based on current petrol price of about Rs100 per litre.
The PPP government had increased the CNG rate last year to reduce price differential with petrol as a policy tool to discourage gas consumption in the transport sector, but the price was reduced on the intervention of the Supreme Court.
The official said the PPP government had to reduce the CNG rate because the decision had been taken by the ministry of petroleum on its own, but the PML-N government would adopt a legal course by getting it approved by the CCI.
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What it appears Pakistani Government is not interested in resolving energy crisis but increasing, how can CNG decrease the current crisis that’s completely out of my normal brain.
There is no official verdict by the government to take this initiative but if the Government did, then it will be over ruling the Supreme Court’s decision which stated clearly that Natural Gas Tariff will stay always 60% of the Petrol / Diesel which gets imported in Pakistan.
Petrol Price is in Pakistan is 100 a bit up which means 60% of it 60 plus Tax currently Compressed Nature Gas Prices are almost 66 Rupees, but the above Dawn news shows that instead of 60% it would be 133% which makes no sense.
Already the country is facing energy crisis and hardly CNG issue was resolved keeping twice a week loadshedding by SSGC in Southern Zone, however if Government turned the table to tackle energy crisis like this would be total disaster and outrage, indirectly saying to the common ordinary Pakistani, why don’t you commit suicide, energy crisis will resolve automatically.
Compressed Natural Gas is being used by masses including Commercial / Private Transportation, Instead of keeping proper check and balance, The Government is about to make the worst mistake which would result outrage and chaos, neither energy crisis going to end any sooner but it appears that this news is totally baseless, if not than Government not only disobeying Supreme Court but will face the anger of ordinary Pakistani as well.
