PESHAWAR - Chairman of Senate’s Standing Sub-committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources, Senator Abdul Nabi Bangash has said that government plans to replace the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to meet the growing requirement of the country.
While speaking at a programme “Guest Hour”, organised by Peshawar Press Club here on Saturday, Senator Nabi Bangash said that currently country is importing 380 metric tons of LPG on $1000 per ton every day to fulfill the needs of the petroleum commodity. He informed that a total production of oil and other petroleum products is around 90,000 barrels in the country, adding of the total petroleum products discoveries, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 50 percent share.
Similarly, Senator Bangash said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is producing around 27 percent of gas, whereas it consumes only 9 to 10 percent of the net contribution in the Sui-Northern Gas pipeline (SNGPL) region, which comprised of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. “Punjab is contributing mere 4 per cent compared to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 27 percent share in the total gas production, while Punjab gas consumption stands at around 65 per cent, he claimed, and added Punjab’s 61 percent gas requirements are fulfilled from other provinces.
About the Sui-Southern Gas Pipeline (SSGPL) region that comprised of Sindh and Balochistan, Senator Bangash said the Sindh contributes 70 per cent of the total natural gas production, while the rest is contributed by Balochistan. According to the Constitution, he said, it was obligatory to fulfill requirement of the people of the area, where oil and gas is produced and only then it could be supplied to other parts of the country.
Referring to the passage of 18th Constitutional amendment, he said, it was historic amendment which had resolved all concerns and reservations of all federating units. Before the constitutional amendments, he added, the provinces were not authorized to produce even a megawatt of electricity. However, he objected that KP is producing electricity at Rs.2 per unit to national grid station, but the same electricity is provided to it at a rate of Rs.15 and 17 per unit, which he termed ‘injustice with smaller federating units’. Talking about the outstanding dues on head of oil and gas royalty, Senator Nabi Bangansh said that centre is liable to pay Rs.35 billion royalty to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is being delayed for the last several years.
Similarly, he said the net hydel profit also capped at Rs6 billion, but the center isn’t releasing this amount as per commitment under decision of arbitration tribunal, due to which amount is escalating with the passage of time.
Without naming the federal State Minister for Water and Power, he said it was totally unjustified to call the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as power thieves, adding the electricity was being stolen in factories of Faisalabad, causing millions of rupees loss to national exchequer.
Senator Nabi Bangash urged the federal government to focus on indigenous oil and natural resources rather relaying on neighboring states to fulfill electricity and gas requirements. He slammed the direct supply of gas to domestic and commercial consumers in district Karak, which is inflicting losses of Rs.10 to Rs.11b to exchequer annually.