August 21, 2017
President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), President AKIA, Secretary General of the Businessmen Panel of FPCCI and former Provincial Minister Mian Zahid Hussain on Monday said the business community supports the decision of the government to provide clean fuel to the people of the far-flung area at an affordable price.
The decision will improve the health of mothers who use dirty fuel and will reduce deforestation which will be good for the environment, he said.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that only twenty percent households are linked to piped network to use natural gas around 1.5 million people rely on LPG while the rest use wood and different dirty fuels for cooking and heating.
The absence of clean and affordable fuel in remote areas has resulted in the highest level of deforestation in Asia which must be constrained through such moves.
He said that northern parts of the country should be preferred in the project while the price of clean LPG should be according to the buying power of the people which would be covered through cross-subsidy.
The government should supply LPG to isolated communities through cylinders and reconsider making local piped gas networks which will increase cost and risks as LPG is heavier than air which can cause significant damage in case of leakage, he added.
India has successfully implemented a plan to provide subsidized LPG to far-flung communities which has significantly reduced deforestation and improved lives. 
