Out of gas: SNGPL sends disconnection notice to the Police Department

Rawalpindi is top defaulter, Faisalabad is at the bottom of the list.

LAHORE:

The Punjab Police is said to have defaulted in paying Rs56.74 million to the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline (SNGPL) even though the government had allocated Rs614.46 million for the payment of utility bills for all police offices in the province during 2011-2012.

An official speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Express Tribune that the SNGPL management had warned the Police Department that non-payment of outstanding dues would lead to gas supply being discontinued.

In 2011-2012, the Punjab government had allocated Rs546.324 million towards the payment of utility bills for that financial year. On the demand of the Inspector General (IG) of the Punjab Police the allocation was increased to Rs614.46 million in February 2012.

Initially, Rs41.86 million had been set aside for the payment of gas bills of all offices. The SNGPL, however, sent a detailed bill of Rs56.74 million to the IG. No payment had been made till the end of June.

Rawalpindi was the top defaulter with dues of Rs33.718 million while Faisalabad was at the bottom of the list at Rs458,930. Bahawalpur owed Rs872,620, Gujranwala Rs932,400, Lahore Rs15.568 million while Sahiwal and Sheikhupura have defaulted Rs1.7 million and Rs2.613 million respectively.

An official said a large amount had been requested by the Police Department to pay its outstanding bills. He said the IG had been declared ex-officio secretary, granted financial and administrative powers as listed in Police Order (PO) 2002. However, the Police Department, he said, had not disclosed how the funds had been used.

The official said the department had used the funds for tasks like renovating the offices and residences of senior officials and had ignored the payment of outstanding dues. He added that now the outstanding amount due had become huge and SNGPL had sent a final disconnection notice.

A senior official of the Finance Department said the Punjab government had written the SNGPL asking it to disconnect defaulting departments’ gas supply without granting any grace period.

He said all departments were being provided with funds to pay their utility bills but the onus of paying the charges lay on the departments.

The government has informed the department that no grant would be provided in the future to bail them out for payment of any outstanding utility bill, he added.

Punjab Police Public Relations director Nabeela Ghazanfar said it was not possible to use funds reserved for payment of utility bills on other things.

The outstanding dues were due to the shortfall in allocations, she said. Last year, the Finance Department had allocated Rs41 million for gas bills and this year the amount had been decreased to Rs33 million, she added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2012.