Senate Body Directs For Massive Operation Against Illegal Gas Connections

The Senate's Standing Committee on Petroleum Thursday directed the authorities concerned to take all the stakeholders into confidence and launch a massive operation against illegal gas connections

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Jan, 2022 ) :The Senate's Standing Committee on Petroleum Thursday directed the authorities concerned to take all the stakeholders into confidence and launch a massive operation against illegal gas connections.

The committee, which met here at the Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Mohammad Abdul Qadir, astonished to know that there were more than 700,000 illegal gas connections in Karachi only.

The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) officials informed the meeting that the matter had been taken up at appropriate level and the concerned quarters were informed a number of times.

The committee chairman said it was a serious issue, which needed to be looked into detail. The gas shortage had added to the miseries of people and collaborated efforts were required to be made to provide relief to them, he added.

He called upon all the stakeholders to provide input in enhancing gas production and take effective measures against illegal connections and theft.

At the outset, Senator Mohsin Aziz raised the issue of disconnection of gas supply to textile mills in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without any prior notice, and that step of the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Ltd was in violation of Article 158 of Constitution.

The Secretary Petroleum briefed the committee about the gas shortage issue and said owing to decrease in domestic production and increase in demand, the government had to shut down its supply.

"It was the government's policy to cut off gas supply to captive power generation due to circular debt of Rs 1.3 trillion. But as of current situation, the ministry gave directives that every textile mills can get gas supply after efficiency audit," he added.

The committee chairman inquired Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar that whether industries could import the gas by itself.

The minister said the PLL gave tender notice last month but unfortunately not a single industry came forward. "The reason is that why will industries import gas that cost them 40$ instead of the government given gas that only cost $8 or 9," he added. The government, he said, was also planning to give third parties access to terminals.

Senator Afnan Ullah Khan asked the minister about the present status of CNG sector in the country. The minister said the summary had been prepared to give third part access to the CNG Association to import LNG for itself, which would be sent to the Federal Cabinet for approval in coming weeks.

Discussing details of contract of PLL with SNGPL for supply of LNG, the officials apprised the committee that 90pc of the agreement had been finalized and it would be concluded in one month.

The officials of SNGPL and SSGC also briefed the committee about decrease in line loses under UFG 3 year reduction plan. "We decreased the line loses from 12pc to single digit in this period and this gives benefit to the government of around 1 billion rupees," they said.

The committee chairman praised the efforts of SNGPL and SSGC in that regard and directed the officials to work hard to get rid of this problem once and for all.

He also highlighted the issue of irrational increase in gas bills in the winter season owing to change in the slabs.

The chairman directed the officials to rationalize this issue, so that the poor sections of the country can get benefit from gas in winter as well.