Senate Body Recommends To Lift Moratorium On Industrial, Commercial Users

Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum Monday recommended to the government to lift moratorium placed on provision of industrial and commercial gas connections.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Nov, 2018 ) :Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum Monday recommended to the government to lift moratorium placed on provision of industrial and commercial gas connections.

The meeting was chaired by Senator Mohsin Aziz and was attended by Lt Gen (R) Salahuddin Tirmizi, Saleem Zia, Shammim Afridi, Taj Muhammad Afridi, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Atta Ur Rheman and Bahramand Khan Tangi.

The committee also recommended the Federal government to allow provinces to use the gas according to their production.

Secretary of Ministry of Petroleum Division Mian Asad Hayaud Din said the cabinet was scheduled to discuss LNG issue on Tuesday.

"The recommendations of the committee would be put in place in the agenda of the cabinet for lifting of moratorium and right of the provinces for utilization of gas according to production," he added.

The officials of Ministry of the Petroleum informed the committee that moratorium was put in place due to shortage of gas in the country 2011 by the then government.

The committee was informed that gas connections on Re-Gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) were being provided across the area of franchise of SNGPL to the industrial and commercial users irrespective of gas producing areas or otherwise.

The managing director of SNGPL informed that presently there were about 4,215 industrial and 22,605 commercial consumers.

The Senate body was apprised that on April, 21 2017, moratorium on new gas connections for industrial, commercial, captive consumers and load enhancement of existing consumers was relaxed on provision of RLNG.

The SNGPL managing director said 293 industrial, 213 captive and 1622 commercial connections had been given connection through RLNG.

He said the SNGPL had received about 2.4 million applications for the provision of domestic gas connections. During the last year, the SNGPL had provided 0.6 million connections while the OGRA had been requested to allow 0.6 million connections during the current year.

The Senate body was informed that there was no ban for the installation second gas meter in one home.

The committee was apprised that survey for supply of gas to the village Bhatti Gujjar in district Chakwal had been carried out. On another point, the committee was told that SNGPL was providing gas connections to the application of Purani Abadi Shohan, Islamabad whose applications had been submitted till January 31this year.