ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources Monday directed the SNGPL and SSGCL to place photos of meter-reading on their utility bills, like WAPDA, to facilitate consumers and avoid excessive billings.
The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) assured the committee meeting, chaired by Chaudhry Bilal Ahmed Virk, of complete compliance of the direction.
The body took serious note of domestic gas consumers’ complaints about flaws in the billing system and reached a decision after a thorough debate to put photos of meter reading on monthly bills to ensure fair play.
It also discussed revised Social Welfare Guidelines for the utilisation of funds in development schemes by oil and gas exploration companies and directed the Ministry to submit a final draft with certain amendments for approval in the next meeting. The Managing Director SNGPL informed lawmakers that the company had a stringent system of accountability for the employees found involved in gas theft, adding that it initiated disciplinary inquiries against 96 employees.
From July 2013 to August 2016, he said, the company identified 130,516 theft cases in its operational areas, involving 18,031 mmcf gas and Rs 10,496 million in stolen money. At the same time, it identified gas theft of 22,819 mmcf by non-consumers and 34,154 mmcf in law and order affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Managing Director SSGCL said on record that there was no evidence regarding the company employees’ involvement in gas theft. However, he apprised that the company in the year 2015-16 detected 1,265 theft cases, registered 118 FIRs (first information reports), charged 713 mmcf gas and recovered Rs 613 million from the industrial pilferers.
The committee was informed that groundbreaking of the North-South Gas Pipeline project would be performed soon and important developments on the project were likely in the coming days. It was also apprised that required measures were being taken for import of natural gas under the Iran-Pakistan and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan, Pakistan-India pipeline projects.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Muhammad Arshad Khan Leghari, Rana Afzaal Hussain, Rana Muhammad Ishaq Khan, Abdul Waseem, Sajid Ahmed, Akram Khan Durrani, Muhammad Afzal khokhar, Syed Muhammad Saqlain Bukhari, Pir Bux Junejo, Shahjehan Muneer Mangrio, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Secretary Petroleum, Chairperson Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority and representatives of provincial energy departments.
