Senate body sheds light on Karachi's illegal gas connections
"Government is allowing CNG sectors to import gas," says Hammad Azhar
January 06, 2022
- Senate Standing Committee for Energy meeting discusses issues regarding illegal gas connections in Karachi.
- Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar says that government is allowing CNG sectors to import gas.
- "Chairman OGRA informed CM Sindh about the issue," he says.
KARACHI: A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee for Energy was held on Thursday which discussed the issues regarding illegal gas connections in the city, Geo News reported.
During the session, Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar said that the government is allowing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) sectors to import their gas, adding that a summary regarding this is being sent to the cabinet’s energy committee.
"Our gas losses are decreasing," said the managing director (MD) of Sui Northern Gas Company in the meeting, complaining about the illegal gas connections in Karachi.
Chairman OIL and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) briefed the committee that illegal connections consume 10 million cubic feet of gas in a year, adding that, “Chief Minister of Sindh Murad Ali Shah has been informed about the issue.”
During the meeting, Hammad Azhar added that almost 700,000 illegal gas connections persist in the metropolis and chairman OGRA had informed CM Sindh, however, no action has been taken.
The chairman of the committee concluded the meeting by saying that the matter of illegal gas connection in Karachi will be brought to CM Sindh's notice.
As the winter knocked in the country, the suspension of gas supply has made life difficult for the citizens in carrying out their daily household chores.
Hammad Azhar had already said that the supply of gas will be ensured for domestic consumers during breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours amid the major gas outage in the country during the winter season.
"For the first time, the government is trying to ensure gas supply three times each day," he had said.
Owing to the gas shortage, CNG stations across Sindh and Balochistan have been closed till February 15, 2022.
