Curbing oil, gas theft: Bill to be tabled in National Assembly today

-The government on Monday will introduce 'Criminal Law Amendment Bill, 2011' to curb theft of oil and gaas in the country, it learnt. According to National Assembly Secretariat sources, the government will introduce a bill seeking amendments in Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 (PPC) and Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898(Cr. PC) to end the menace of oil and gas theft along with subversive activities inflicting financial losses which have been observed as established threat not only to the public life and property but also to national kitty.
Sources said that the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources had prepared the draft of the bill and submitted to Ministries of Law and Interior. They said that it should be considered essential to amend the PPC and Cr. PC to make the offences like tampering oil and gas pipelines, damaging and causing destruction to oil and gas pipelines and theft of oil and gas liable for punishment of imprisonment and imposition of fines commensurate with the gravity of offence.
About salient features of the bill, sources said that there has been proposed harsh punishments and imposition of heavy fines against the gravity of offence'. They said that any person committing offence of tampering with main petroleum pipelines will face rigorous imprisonment up to 14 years and fine up to ten million rupees. Any person committing offence of tampering with auxiliary or distribution pipeline of petroleum will face rigorous imprisonment of up to ten years and fine up to three million rupees. Any person committing offence of tampering with gas metric etc shall be punishable: In case of domestic consumer, imprisonment up to six months and fine up to 10,000 rupees and in case of industrial or commercial consumer, imprisonment up to three years and fine up to one million rupees. Any person committing offence of damaging or destructing the transmission or transportation pipelines by explosive material or in any other manner will face rigorous imprisonment up to 14 years and with fine which shall not be less than one million rupees,"
In this regard, Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Dr Asim Hussain, confirmed that the government would introduce a bill on Monday in the National Assembly to curb gas theft in the country. He said that there is no specific law which pre-empts oil and gas theft. He said that there is no deterrence and punishment for those who are involved in such heinous crimes.
He said that according to this bill, FIR would be registered against those people involved in the theft of oil and gas. He said that Ministry of Interior would introduce this bill in the Parliament.
National Assembly Secretariat sources told Business Recorder that opposition party PML-N would move two calling attention notices: one is related to 12 percent increase in electricity bills, and other is about fund of one billion rupees of least year for flood affected people of Sindh which could not be distributed so far.
Sources said that the opposition would also raise the issue of latest hike in petroleum products. In this regard PML-N on Saturday submitted an adjournment motion in the national Assembly saying that the ruthless use of petroleum sector to meet government deficit. Similarly, MQM also decided to submit an adjournment motion against increasing petroleum prices.