Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) has announced a three-day-long shutdown of gas supply across Sindh. The suspension will continue from 8 AM on August 5 to the same time on August 8.
A spokesperson for SSGCL cited a critical shortage of gas reserves as the reason for the closure. He highlighted that the closure is a part of a gas load management program that the company is observing to manage the shortfall. An official notification from the company read:
In compliance with sectoral priority order in force for gas load management, all CNG Stations in Sindh (including those being operating on RLNG), will remain closed.
As always CNG station owners remain disgruntled due to the frequent gas supply suspension. That, coupled with a recent hike in the prices of CNG has impacted sales negatively. Station owners claim that the government’s policies heavily favor Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), which puts the CNG sector’s fate in question.
The repeated CNG station shutdowns are also a bother for vehicle owners across Sindh. Due to the rising prices of petrol, several commuters have shifted to CNG fuel as it is comparatively more economical.
Various commercial transport vehicles also run on CNG, the suspension of which may impact the supply chain in the region as well.
