Natural gas
The justified access, use and distribution of a national wealth are a right that every citizen of a country should share & benefit from. Although it is very difficult to arrange and practice such things, especially in the developing countries, there is no harm in using some paper and ink in at least letting the people know about the privileges that they are entitled to.
Natural gas is our national asset which every citizen has the right to share. However, its utilization in the form of CNG by cars and jeeps at a throw away price particularly by the upper class of our society is a very common picture in our capital. Speaking of this issue, many might point out the various constraints in distributing this precious resource of our country equally to all the citizens. But this in no way means that it is to be consumed to a large extent by a particular section in the form of CNG in their vehicles.
None can deny the usefulness of CNG and its friendliness towards our environment. But the price that is being offered is not justified if we consider the fact that a huge portion of this precious natural gas is being consumed by only a small section of our privileged population, leaving others out. Better utilization of this resource to generate electricity and manufacturing of petrochemical products would be of greater benefit to the mass population. Moreover, the throw away price of CNG is encouraging many to have their own vehicles, especially in the capital and in other divisional headquarters, as they know that they can roam the whole of a city in at a cost of only 100 bucks if they use CNG. It will not only affect negatively the use of natural gas in the form of CNG at a cheap price but will also cram our capital city with ever gruelling traffic jam. If required, the government can limit the use of CNG to private vehicles by introducing Special Electronic Cards that would allow the private vehicle owners to refuel their transports with CNG for a certain number of times in a month.
It is time for the government to take necessary steps to cut the use of this asset in the form of CNG at a negligible price and at the same time the government must ensure its proper distribution across the country. If not, they must at least guarantee the justified price of gas.
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