Govt steps up drive against gas theft
SSGC identified around 189 industrial and commercial entities that were using booster pumps and disconnected supplies to 10 of them. photo: file
The federal government on Wednesday intensified a nationwide crackdown against the industrial and commercial entities, found to be involved in gas theft and using illegal boosters, to help the gas marketing firms to reduce the duration of unannounced load-shedding.
In this regard, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) imposed penalties and recovered dues of millions of rupees while the law enforcement agencies arrested some people.
“Four gas theft cases, including three industrial units and one commercial unit, have been disconnected in the Lahore distribution region of SNGPL,” Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar said on his official Twitter handle on Wednesday.
“Total booked amount of the theft is Rs183 million. Four FIRs have been lodged against the culprits and two persons have been arrested.”
As a result of raids conducted by SNGPL in Peshawar, one CNG pump and three industrial units were found to be involved in gas theft. An amount of “Rs80 million has been recovered and one person has been arrested. Raids continue,” he said on Monday.
SSGC identified around 189 industrial and commercial entities that were using booster pumps and disconnected supplies to 10 of them on the directives of Sindh Governor Imran Ismail last week.
An SSGC official said that the utility had recovered dues of Rs30 million during the crackdown.
He said that the company had lodged 500-550 FIRs over the past three years while courts convicted 89 people. “SSGC will make the names of convicted people public through advertisements in newspapers this week and over the next few weeks.”
SSGC spokesperson Salman A Siddiqui said gas connections of only 10 big industrial units were disconnected while the rest of the industries cooperated voluntarily by removing their suction pumps.
“As a result, SSGC’s system has shown gradual improvement in the surrounding areas.”
It was learnt that the industrial and commercial users, including exporters who were provided gas on a priority basis, had installed illegal booster pumps to improve their supplies after the flow of fuel dropped to zero amid less availability of gas in the system against the spike in demand during the peak winter season, ie November-February.
Gas outages expanded in the country in the wake of 8% annual depletion in the domestic gas reserves, no major discovery of new deposits over the past two decades and disruption in imports in the winter season.
Around 4,650 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) of gas used to be available in the country (including around 1,200 mmcfd of imported one) against an estimated demand of 6,500 mmcfd.
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) officials, along with office-bearers of seven industrial zones in the city of ports, held a press conference and announced to hold protests and stage sit-ins outside SSGC head office if supplies were not normalised.
There was no gas available for the past 70 days. “Industries are lying closed,” KCCI President Muhammad Idrees said at the conference last week.
SSGC spokesperson said that out of the 10 disconnection, six large industrial units have already submitted the required undertaking to SSGC and their gas supplies have been restored.
“All gas supplies, in addition to sanctioned load, would be billed on RLNG (costlier imported gas) tariff,” he said. Besides, the industrial customers would provide an undertaking to the gas marketing firm that they would use alternate fuel to operate captive power plants during the three months of winter ie December to February.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 10th, 2022.
Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.