Energy: SNGPL intensifies crackdown on gas pilferage

‘Nearly 30 per cent of gas is stolen’.

LAHORE: The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL), on directions from the government, has intensified its crackdown on gas theft and the recovery of outstanding arrears from defaulters, SNGPL Managing Director Arif Hameed said on Sunday.

He said SNGPL teams had so far had detected 343 high profile gas theft cases involving pilferage of millions of rupees. He said SNGPL’s recovery was around 96.4 per cent but nearly 30 per cent of its gas was stolen. He said the department would not restore any ‘dead’ connections till all the arrears were cleared. The department has begun shutting down connections of chronic defaulters, said Hameed.

All regional general managers were told to expedite the recovery of arrears and to speed up the crackdown against gas theft, he said.

Hameed said that special raiding teams had been especially tasked with detecting gas theft.

He said that special arrangements had also been made at regional level to issue clearance certificates to defaulters who had cleared their all financial liabilities.

He asked gas consumers to clear their current bills and other outstanding bills, especially dead arrears. He said action would also be taken against defaulters.

Hameed said he was personally monitoring the performance of all regions.

Islamabad Region General Manager Chaudhary Ejaz Ahmad said, “We have found many big names involved in gas theft in their big commercial outlets. They have caused losses of millions of rupees to the national exchequer.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2013.