ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has merged complaints and appeal wing into a newly-established Consumer Affairs Department (CAD) for a fast track redressal of public complaints. "Ogra establishes "Consumer Affairs Department" for speedy resolution of consumer complaints and quick disposal of appeals," Spokesman Ogra Imran Ghaznavi tweeted.

The authority established CAD to handle general public grievances and provide redressal on merit. The complaints and appeals departments have been merged and placed under the umbrella of CAD to synchronise the data of complaints and provide complainants the option of appeal at one forum for timely redressal of their grievances under CRPR, 2003.

The OGRA has also established its regional offices at Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, and Peshawar to facilitate the consumers at their doorstep and posted designated officers to record, hear, analyse and decide the complaints as per rules. In Financial Year 2020-21 alone OGRA designated officers decided 8,272 complaints, provided 1,341 gas connections and allowed a relief of Rs118 million to the consumers with provision of the opportunity of appeal to aggrieved party being competent appellate forum in the oil and gas sector.

The consumers can register their complaints by hand, post, email, or they can directly submit their complaints on the Ogra website. The complaint redressal mechanism is available free of cost and complaints are decided within a limited/short time period, resolving consumers' grievances against Sui companies, oil marketing companies, CNG stations, LPG and LNG companies etc that is the reason the Ogra has established the Consumer Affairs Department to provide quick and speedy relief to the consumers.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021