Bill to curb oil, gas theft introduced in National Assembly
The government on Monday introduced "The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2011" in the National Assembly to curb the theft of oil and gas in the country. Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain introduced the bill. Deputy Speaker National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi referred the bill to concerned standing committee for further deliberation.
According to statement of objects and reasons of the bill, in order to maintain and ensure smooth supply of oil and gas and functioning of the oil and gas pipelines and facilities akin thereto, it is expedient to create a comprehensive legislative instrument which can curb the practices of oil and gas theft and pilferage and abuse of lawful connections of oil and gas through numerous means, to provide for adequate punishment proportionate with the gravity of offences, to halt damage or destruction of oil and gas pipelines by acts of subversion and to protect the assets of national significance which are duly defined herein, this law is hereby enacted.
According to the bill, new amendment about offence relating to oil and gas, etc, would be made in the Pakistan Penal Code 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898. The bill described about tampering with petroleum pipelines, etc "(1) Any person who wilfully tampers or attempts to tamper or abets in tampering with a facility, installation or main pipeline for transmission or transportation, as the case may be, of petroleum, is said to commit tampering with petroleum pipelines. (2)Any person who tampers or abets in tampering with petroleum pipelines for the purpose of, (a) theft of petroleum; or. .
(b) disrupting supply of petroleum, shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment which may extend to 14 years and with fine which may extend to 10 million rupees. The bill further says about 462C tampering with auxiliary or distribution pipelines of petroleum - (1) Any person who wilfully tampers or attempts to tamper or abets in tampering with any auxiliary or distribution pipeline of petroleum not being a main transmission and transportation pipeline but includes a distribution system, distribution pipeline or any other related system and equipment, as the case may be, of petroleum is said to commit tampering with auxiliary or distribution pipelines of petroleum. (2) Any person who tampers or abets in tampering with auxiliary or distribution pipeline of petroleum for the purpose of,
(a) theft of petroleum; or (b) disrupting supply of petroleum, "shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment which may extend to 10 years and with fine which may extend to three million rupees." About 462D Tampering with gas meter, etc, the bill says that "any person who tampers or abets in tampering with any gas meter, regulator, meter index or gas connection or any other related system and equipment, whether to commit theft of gas or for the purpose of unauthorised distribution or supply of gas shall be punishable in case of,-
(a) a domestic consumer, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months or fine which may extend to one hundred thousand rupees or both, and (b)an industrial or commercial consumer, with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years or fine which may extend to five million rupees or both.
462E damaging or destructing the transmission or transportation lines etc - Any person who damages or destructs any transmission or transportation lines by an act of subversion by explosive material or in any other manner so as to disrupt the supply of petroleum shah be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen years and with fine which shall not be less than one million rupees."