PUNJAB, THE BULLY

A lot of hue and cry has been raised by the industrial sector in Punjab about the discrimination in gas supplies to the province. These industrialists have accused the federal government and Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited for being harsh to Punjab and for cutting down supply during winter deliberately.
However, after signing the 18th Amendment, the Punjab government cannot accuse the federation of discrimination since every province has been given complete right over its own resources.
A large number of rallies and protests were launched throughout the province to pressurise the federal government to restore supplies to Punjab. Ironically, the politicians, instead of telling the truth to the industry owners, have been trying to politicise the issue.
Under the 18th Amendment, provinces hav been given a 50 percent share in the ownership of their oil, gas and other mineral resources and the income generated from these resources will be shared with the federal government on an equal basis.
“Punjab is producing the minimum gas and is consuming the maximum amount,” SNGPL Managing Director Arif Hameed said while talking to Pakistan Today.
Since the province is not producing enough gas to satisfy its own needs, it cannot blame the federation for not providing enough gas. Punjab government, however, has failed to inform the traders of this grim reality and this in turn is instigating them to take the law in their own hands.
However, the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) in recent protest it did not take law and order in its hands. The workers and labourers of the textile sector staged a peaceful sit-in in front of SNGPL office and disbursed peacefully after assurance of meeting with Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain.
At the same time, the federal government should also realise that more than 60 percent of industry is operating in Punjab and country’s lion share of exports is dependent on this sector therefore ignoring it would not be a wise step. If gas is not provided to Punjab, the country will not only fail to meet export target but there will also be massive unemployment since Punjab has the highest population also.
The government should have taken measures on war-footings and should have consulted the respective stakeholders. APTMA Chairman Mohsin Aziz had proposed that oil prices be decreased by 50 percent for a certain period so that gas consumption by the CNG sector could be reduced. It was a good proposal, as in this way CNG which consumes around 10 percent of gas could be diverted to industrial sector but no attention was paid to it.
Unfortunately, the federal government acts on the spur of the moment and only provides gas to the sector that holds a protest instead of framing a long-term policy. Recently, the fertilizer and CNG sector adopted this tactics and managed to get gas for them.
The price of gas for the domestic sector should also be rationalised. The tariff for domestic sector, which eats away more than 42 percent of gas, should be revised. The country cannot afford the luxury of using inefficient gas heaters and geysers. There should be a massive increase of price for the domestic users who consume large amount of gas. The domestic sector should be allowed to use gas only for preparing meals and this decision could be implemented through tariff rationalisation. If gas consumption of domestic user gets high then it should be charged high tariffs.
APTMA former chairman Gohar Ejaz said a similar situation had risen in China some 30 years ago and the then Chinese government stopped gas supplies to domestic users. The government should not close gas for domestic sector but increasing the price for big users could reduce the consumption. In this way, the usage of heaters, geysers and generators could be discouraged and we can save the industry.