Murad writes to PM against diversion of Sindh's gas

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Friday asked Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Friday to allocate the natural gas quota of Sindh's production of up to 2,700 MMCFD, asking for an end to fuel diversion to other provinces without the producer's consent. in a letter to the prime minister obtained by the Business Recorder, he described as unjust the diversion of gas from Sindh to other provinces, without their consent, as unjust.
He said this in violation of the Constitution's Article 158, and invited the prime minister's attention to Sindh's growing industrial need for the fuel input. The letter said that, according to the last published Energy Yearbook 2015, daily natural gas production in Sindh has varied between 2,700 to 2,900 MMCFD in different years as against daily consumption of 1,560 MMCFD by all sectors of the economy in 2015.
The bulk was consumed by the power and fertilizer sectors, 589 and 252 MMCFD, respectively and the benefits of this were enjoyed by the whole country. Despite its surplus gas production, Sindh faces gas load shedding in the CNG and industrial sectors and no new connections are being provided to the power generation, industrial, commercial and residential sectors by the SSGCL.
Sindh has a growing and vibrant economy, he said, with a potential to utilize the entire gas produced in the province. But diversion of gas to other parts of the country is unconstitutional, the letter said. This is particularly so since the diversion is done without the gas requirements of Sindh being met first, it added, and the action is on the basis of an arbitrary and unilateral decision of the ECC. Sindh continues to produce over 2,700 MMCFD, the letter said, whereas approximately 1,000 MMCF is still being diverted daily to other parts of the country without consent from the gas producing province, Sindh. It said that allocation of gas to Sindh, in accordance with Article 158, would be beneficial for the whole country because the government of Sindh intends to utilize 500-600 MMCFD gas to generate 3,000 MW affordable power, which would cost much less than the current average power tariff; and the rest of the gas for industrial and domestic consumers of Sindh of the province.
The chief minister requested in the letter that, in pursuance of Article 158, Sindh should be allocated all natural gas from old and new wellheads located in the province, so that the province and its consumers can meet the immediate short-term and long-term requirements in the power, fertilizer, industrial, domestic and commercial sectors. The surplus quantity may be diverted to other areas only after the requirements of Sindh have been fully met, and with the consent of the provincial government. "A prosperous and developed Sindh guarantees economic well being of Pakistan. Sindh would prove to be the economic engine of the country," the letter concluded.