ISLAMABAD: Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Wednesday informed the National Assembly that the ministry had not installed even a single gas meter in violation of merit and rules.
"Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited only provides legal connections as per turn and merit criteria of the company," he said during the question-hour.
He said it was the hallmark of the present government that it was religiously following the policy of merit under which new gas connections for domestic consumers were being given without any discrimination.
As per the policy, the minister said, it took around six months to process an application for a domestic conection. Its urgent fee was Rs 25,000 and the meter was installed after a three-month period, he added.
Replying to a supplementary question, Abbasi said new gas connections and gas projects for localities were two different things.
He said new gas projects could not be initiated in the country under a Federal Cabinet moratorium imposed in 2011 due to shortage of the commodity in the country. If any parliamentarian wanted to get the project for any scheme, it would need lifting of the moratorium or to pay the required amount, he added.
To another question, the minister said people of an area from where natural gas was discovered were given priority for domestic use and fertilizer production, adding that people within five kilometers' radius in the area were accorded priority, but they were required to pay installation fee and utility bills.
He said the government accorded top priority to domestic sector, thereby uninterrupted supply was being ensured to it. However, at times low gas pressure could occur due to some local/technical problems which was timely resolved through round-the-clock customers services and fields teams of gas utility companies.
He also informed the House about the gas theft scale in some areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying that Rs 6 billion theft was occurring in one of the districts fallen in the category of troubled areas.
He said the ministry in collaboration with the provincial government and local jirgas was making efforts to streamline the matters and make recoveries.
Answering a query about petrol price, the minister said petrol price in the country was among the lowest in the region except from Afghanistan and oil producing Iran. "Petrol price in Pakistan is Rs 35 per liter is less than India," he added.
At present, he said, the petrol stocks were sufficient for seven days, adding that the monthly product review meetings were conducted to closely monitor supply and demand position in the country.
The ministry, Abbasi said, had directed oil marketing companies to build-up stocks/storage of petrol for 20 days as per policy of the government and licensing terms and conditions of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA).
Besides, he apprised that an effective policy was in place to streamline imports of petroleum products keeping in view demand and supply of petrol in the country.
To a question about price of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), the minister said its price would be determined after signing of agreement among stakeholders.
He said it was the choice of consumers that it opted for LNG, or CNG or petrol to meet their needs, saying the government had no plan to shut down CNG stations.
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