NA body seeks details of gas supply schemes

Lawmakers complain about discrimination in execution of projects

ISLAMABAD:

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Energy (Petroleum Division) on Wednesday sought details of all approved ongoing and new gas supply schemes from Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL).

It gave the orders after lawmakers complained of discrimination in the execution of projects, which they said were implemented on the basis of political affiliations.

Committee meeting, chaired by MNA Imran Khattak, expressed concern over the matter and asked SNGPL to prepare a detailed briefing on all the gas supply schemes along with budgetary allocations. Almost all committee members outlined the situation in their respective constituencies. They said gas supply schemes were not being executed in their constituencies while projects of other lawmakers were being undertaken. SNGPL Managing Director Amir Tufail told meeting participants that some projects required approval for the development of a distribution network in certain areas from the quarters concerned.

He revealed that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) had fixed a quota of 400,000 new connections by the company in the current fiscal year, which was insufficient against 2.7 million pending applications on the company’s network.

The SNGPL MD said the company had requested the authority to allow 300,000 more connections for the year, adding that “Ogra has verbally accepted our request and formal approval in this regard will be granted soon.”

Petroleum Secretary Mian Asad Hayauddin emphasised that gas supply schemes were being executed on merit without any biased approach. “There is no pressure on me,” he remarked. He told the committee that existing gas reserves were depleting and underscored the need for accelerating oil and gas exploration activities in potential areas to find new and major hydrocarbon deposits. “A proposal is under consideration to award a new exploration block in all provinces every year to get the desired results,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2020.

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