ISLAMABAD – Federal Petroleum and Natural Resources Minister Syed Naveed Qamar Wednesday said the CNG stations set up in residential areas were illegal, urging the respective district governments to take action against them. Responding to a supplementary question raised by Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan of MQM during the question hour, he asked Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to shift such stations outside the residential areas or cancel their licences.
The minister said the setting up of CNG stations in the residential areas was illegal, but his ministry had nothing to do with the matter. “There should be a crackdown against the CNG stations operating in residential areas and they should be closed. The OGRA issues licenses for opening new CNG stations while the district governments are bound to keep a check on establishing unlawful outlets,” he asserted. The minister also clarified that the government had not increased gas prices during the last seven to eight months.
Naveed said, presently, 136 national and foreign companies were operating in different areas of the country. He stated a tight gas policy had been approved by the Council of Common Interest, which offered more incentives. He said efforts were being made to lay gas pipelines in the new housing colonies and villages where transmission lines had already been laid.
The minister revealed the government had taken several steps to further enhance exploration activities across the country and had awarded a record exploration licences for 31 blocks during the last year. He said Petroleum Policy 2009 had been promulgated wherein further incentives had been provided to attract local and multi-national companies for investment in the oil and gas sector.
The minister said physical survey was under way to lay the gas pipeline from Iranian border into Pakistani areas under the Pak-Iran project. The government has completed the process of appointing consultants, while other preparations have almost been finalised, he said. He said the prices of imported gas would be determined keeping in view the rates of crude oil in international markets which would be at around $ 10 to 12 per MMBTU at the time of the completion of the project.
He said during the last three years, no country provided free petrol to Pakistan, adding Pakistan had accelerated its efforts to explore new indigenous hydrocarbon resources.
