Gas management plan: PM reverts ECC decision

MUSHTAQ GHUMMAN

ISLAMABAD: Federal Cabinet and Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) decisions are often reverted by President Asif Ali Zardari or Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani when anyone close to them approaches them, according to some high-level officials.

An example is the ECC approval in its meeting on November 11, 2011, for the gas load management plan for November 2011. According to this plan, the fertilizer plants on Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) system would have been supplied 90 mmcfd during the month to enable them to operate two fertilizer plants at any one time.

The ECC's decision was overruled by the Prime Minister and he barred the Petroleum Ministry from disconnecting supply to the fertilizer plants reportedly after one of his friends, the owner of a fertilizer plant, approached him.

According to a press release issued by Prime Minster secretariat a couple of days ago the Ministry of Petroleum was compelled to immediately restore gas supply to all fertilizer plants of the country. The press release further stated that it was decided to ensure availability of urea to growers in a sufficient quantity, considered critical to increase the yield of wheat crop to meet the output target.

Last month the Federal Cabinet decided to dissolve Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) by October 31, 2011 after a series of brainstorming sessions at the Ministry of Finance, however a day before the deadline for the dissolution, the President directed the Ministry of Water and Power to shelve the dissolution plan.

An official of Ministry of Water and Power claimed that a top official of Pepco "pressurized" the government through his contacts in Awami National Party (ANP) to block Pepco's dissolution.

After this development, Secretary Water and Power, Imtiaz Kazi wrote to the top brass of the government seeking permission to de-notify those departments which were earlier given to the Discos and NTDC.