Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik said on Friday the government was working to lift the nationwide ban on new gas connections, as he acknowledged the safety concerns over the use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) gas and incidents of cylinder explosions.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and I have already discussed the issue of lifting the moratorium (on new gas connections)…we are to meet again with the resolve to end the ban soon,” said Ali Pervaiz Malik while talking to the media during his visit to the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC).
He said the government was aware that households and commercial customers were using expensive LPG gas despite having safety issues and risk of explosions associated with the use of LPG cylinders.
The government announced moratorium on new gas connections in December 2021 and implemented in letter and spirit from March 2022.
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According to a SSGC press statement, Minister Malik said that the energy sector “is just like oxygen to the economy and they are taking initiatives to keep the supply and tariffs in line with the international market”.
“Early signs of recovery in key sectors have started showing up, but for that we need to maintain the same momentum and stability while moving forward,” the minister was quoted as saying in the SSGC statement.
The issues related to downstream and upstream sectors were being worked on by the PM and the ministry, he informed. “We are taking concrete steps to alleviate citizens’ sufferings in the upcoming budget.”
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