Laying of ‘controversial’ gas pipeline in Karachi: Parties asked to appear before Senate body

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum has asked officials of Petroleum Division and representative of Sindh to appear before the committee on the issue of laying down of much “controversial” 17km-long the gas pipeline in Karachi to meet gas deficit.

The federal government has argued that the Sindh

Cabinet has yet to give approval to the gas pipeline; however, a written approval was given to them.

The years-long pending issue between the federal and the Sindh governments seems to have been resolved as the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) was asked to lay the 17km pipeline for gas import to overcome prolonged gas and power blackouts in Karachi, upper Sindh, and Balochistan.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister Nadeem Babar stated in December that the pipeline would be completed by mid-January 2021 and the work on it started in October.

The gas company aims to complete the project in two to three months at an estimated cost of Rs2 billion.

The pipeline of 30-inch diameter will be capable of transporting 600 MMcfd (million cubic feet of gas per day).

The committee has asked the relevant department to find out the progress on the proposed gas pipeline.

The provincial government was supposed to provide land to the SSGC for laying gas pipeline over only 4km out of the total 17km as the land covering 13km of the pipeline was within the jurisdiction of Port Qasim and Steel Town which is owned by the federal government.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021