The country is facing its worst crises of natural gas shortage as the production of natural gas in the country is not able to meet the growing demand. It is all because of the lack of future planning, inaction by various governments during the past 20 years and delaying of the Iran-Pakistan Gas project under the pressure of oil marketing companies.
The other reason is allowing the large number of CNG gas stations by the gas distribution companies. Now the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Company Ltd (SNGPL) has started closing down the supply to industries and CNG stations for three days in a week. The shortage of gas is having disastrous effects on the economy of the country.
The Iran-Pakistan Gas project, in which billion of rupees have already been spent on preparation of feasibility report, design and engineering consultancy, is still a pipe dream. The LNG project of US$ 20 billion to import gas to meet the countrys requirements has been in the Supreme Court due to lack of transparency in awarding the contract to a particular company.
We must ask ourselves whether these are our National interest or not. How can we make our industries work without gas? The solution to the crises is that the government should privatise immediately the SNGPL and SSGCL and form public-private partnership companies and allow other companies to operate in the field as well. The government should also transfer Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline interstate project to the private sector. Most of the countries of the world are adopting free market economic mechanism and privatising government enterprises including China.
The government should also use coal reserves to convert them into natural gas by inviting international companies to invest in the sector. The growing energy demand of the country can only be met by using all the available resources of having the gas. Otherwise, their will never be an end of loadshedding of power and gas, and industrialization growth will not be possible.
S T HUSSAIN
Lahore
