LAHORE: The LPG Association of Pakistan (LPGAP) has urged the government to take urgent measures to curb import and smuggling of LPG in the country through land route of Taftan and Mand as it is badly affecting the local LPG producers. The demand was raised at an emergent meeting of LPGAP. LPGAP members stressed the need for taking immediate measures by the authorities to address the issue. The LPGAP chairman said that import and smuggling of LPG is not only affecting sale of local LPG, but is also creating severe environmental and health issues. He said that Minister of Petroleum & Ministry of Finance should take serious notice of import of LPG through land route as it was also causing financial loss to national exchequer. The LPGAP chairman said that some unscrupulous importers are selling this cheap LPG to unregistered players who besides playing with the lives of the masses, and wasting valuable foreign exchange also cause substantial revenue loss to the government.
Substantial Import of LPG through land routes has taken place because of the government’s slackness to match price of the local product in light of huge fall in CP price of LPG promptly, he added. “However, we thank the government for reducing its prices recently, but it must reduce price further by another Rs5,000 per MT to discourage low quality imports,” he added.