ISLAMABAD: During a Senate panel meeting on Thursday, the government was criticized over the gas issue. Speakers pointed to a lack of coordination and bad management as the reasons for the network’s excess supply and the consumers’ lack of supplies.
The petroleum minister was present when the panel decided to reschedule the meeting.
The Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum, chaired by Senator Umar Farooq, also voiced dissatisfaction with the length of time it has taken to fill a director general position for petroleum concessions (DGPC). The nation’s oil and gas exploration and development are handled by the DGPC.
The purpose of the conference was to talk about the country’s growing gas demand and exploratory efforts to address the gas shortage.
Under the direction of Additional Secretary Momin Agha, a petroleum division team informed the lawmakers that drilling had been done at 56 locations over the previous three years, costing $1.23 billion.
260 million cubic feet of gas and 7,696 barrels of oil were produced daily as a result of these explorations.
The senators were unhappy about the DGPC vacancy because, in terms of oil and gas exploration and development, it was the most significant office after the petroleum secretary.
The committee voiced concerns about the open job, stating that it was regrettable that the ministry had failed to locate a qualified candidate for it even after four months had passed. The committee believed that the appointment procedure ought to have begun long before the position became available. It instructed the petroleum division to appoint a replacement as soon as possible.
Regarding gas restriction in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the two areas that Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited serves, Senator Quratul Ain Marri voiced concerns. It also voiced concern over reports of too many supply in the network, which are causing problems with gas pressure.
The gas director general acknowledged that while the northern region was experiencing a reduction in gas supply, the southern region was experiencing a shortage mostly as a result of field depletion.
Additionally, because it was not profitable to sell gas to residential users at a price of Rs1200 per unit when its true rate was Rs3600 per unit, the power industry had reduced its imports due to low demand. There was also a shortage of storage space in the nation, and pipes could only hold so much gas.
