Islamabad - The Senate Sub-Committee on Energy on Monday lamented over the utilization of PM’s discretionary funds for special gas schemes as injustice to the people of rest of the country.
“How you will run the country if PM’s discretionary funds are being used on the basis of personal likes and dislikes,” said convener Senate Sub-Committee on Energy Nisar Muhammad Khan while presiding over the meeting of the subcommittee here.
He said that even SDGs funds are being used as PM’s discretionary funds in some special constituencies. Senator Nisar said that the inauguration of gas schemes by unelected persons was a deviation from the political norms in vogue.
Senator Baz Muhammad Khan said that in 2012 the then prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf had approved gas schemes for the five union councils of Bannu but the schemes were not executed even after the passage of five years.
Senator Nisar reprimanded the officials of the Petroleum Division and SNGPL for delay of five years in supply of gas to Bannu and said that unelected people were inaugurating gas schemes in Bannu.
He said that officials of the Sui Northern Gas Company were taking extra pressure as compared to other departments. He was of the view that favoritism was the main reason behind absence of uniform gas distribution formula. He said gas was being provided on the basis of personal likes and dislikes which was highly regrettable.
Managing Director SNGPL said that a summary, for the gas supply, was earlier moved to Prime Minister Secretariat and now another summary in this regard will be submitted. He said that gas schemes will be started after the approval of the Prime Minister Secretariat.
The committee summoned minister and secretary petroleum for the next meeting.
The committee raised the issue of delay in gas supply to gas-producing areas of Hangu and directed authorities to ensure gas supply in the five kilometer radius of gas wells.
Official of Petroleum Division said that a summary, for the provision of gas to the five kilometer radius of gas-producing areas, had been moved to the CCI for approval. After the approval of the CCI, federal government will bear the expenses of these schemes, the official informed.
Regarding the illegal industrial gas connections in Gur Guri area of district Karak, the official of the Petroleum Division said that they wanted to regularise the illegal connections. Out of the cost of Rs4.5 billion on the regularisation, the provincial government had given consent to provide its share to the federal government. Illegal industrial connections had been removed and around 200 FIR had been registered in this regard, the official concluded.