Senate Body Assured To Address Gas Shortage, Low Pressure Issue In Qallat, Ziarat

Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources was assured that gas shortage and low pressure issue in Qallat and Ziarat will be resolved within few months.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Oct, 2018 ) :Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources was assured that gas shortage and low pressure issue in Qallat and Ziarat will be resolved within few months.

The committee meeting, chaired by Mohsin Aziz, discussed various points of public importance raised by senators.

Representative of the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) informed the committee that it has decided to gassify all villages in the areas to discourage the gas theft.

He said survey has been completed in the areas and meter installation process will be started next month.

The committee chairman said a meeting will be called next month to assess situation on ground in the areas, besides discussing issues related to coal mines workers.

A representative of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) said sufficient gas is being supplied to District Charsada based on its demand against domestic supply.

He said due to shortage of natural gas in Pakistan, the government has decided to import LNG to meet local requirement under long term contracts with LNG suppliers.

To discharge upstream payment obligations, provision of weekly billing with the downstream consumers is inevitable and therefore, arrangements agreed with all RLNG consumers are accordingly.

Such weekly billing to downstream consumers as per Gas Supply Agreements executed by consumers and is lawful, he informed the committee.

Responding to a point of public importance regarding 186 percent, the additional secretary of Ministry of Petroleum said the main reason which warranted revision in the sale price of natural gas is that the SSGCL and SNGPL were selling gas at a sale price which is lower than their prescribed price.

He said the situation caused unprecedented revenue shortfall of both Sui companies since the sale price of natural gas has not been revised in the last five years in line with the revenue requirements of the said companies.

Economic Coordination Committee of the cabinet in its meeting has approved hike of gas price. He said three slabs have been converted to seven slabs to provide relief to domestic consumers.

He said small commercial consumers (Roti Tandoors) have been protected by allowing tariff of domestic slab up to certain volume.

Responding to another point of public importance regarding implementation of six percent employment quota of Balochistan, the representative of SSGCL said employees having domicile of the province Balochistan in SSGCL is 10 percent which is over the quota allocated for the province.

The representative of the OGDCL said the company has filled 554 vacant positions in different cadres of officers category by advertising posts for the period from 2012 to 2017.

The company has not only observed six percent quota of the provinces but excessively appointed professionals from the province.