The National Assembly was informed on Thursday that the country is facing two billion cubic feet gas shortage.
Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Resources Jam Kamal Khan told the House during question hour that there is no plan to decrease the import of crude oil because the country is already running short on gas. He said private sector refineries import the crude oil and the government cannot slash down their imports.
He informed the House that over one point four million domestic applications of new gas connections are pending with Sui Northern Gas Piplelines Limited (SNGPL) and thirty-three thousand with Sui Southern Gas Company. He said that the policy of the government is to provide connections to those who have applied first.
Jam Kamal Khan said that SNGPL has requested Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) for revision of Annual Targets from 250‚000 to 500‚000 for timely provision of gas connections. He said the company has informed that a proposal for processing domestic gas connection against urgent fee 25‚000 to the extent of 10 percent of total annual allocation has been forwarded to OGRA for its approval so that domestic gas connections may be provided expeditiously within a time period of three months.
