ISLAMABAD - The rates of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) witnessed a surge of over 90 per cent during the past three years irrespective of the fact that Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) intervened for six times during the same period to keep the consumer price at reasonable place.
In his written reply, Minister for Petroleum and National Resources Dr Asim Hussain Thursday further informed the Senate that during January 2009 to December 2011, LPG consumer prices increased 22 times mainly because of change of Saudi Aramco CP price and market dynamics of demand/ supply.
He said OGRA had intervened for six times, when it saw the consumer price of LPG exceeding the reasonable limit announced by the regulatory authority.
The statistics shared by the Minister shows the consumer price of 11.8 kilogram LPG cylinder was Rs 707 in January 2009, when reasonable consumer price announced by Ogra was Rs 760. However, the price of cylinder continues to surge until July 2010 when it reached to Rs 903 against the reasonable consumer price fixed by OGRA was still Rs 760.
OGRA at this point in August 2010 intervened by announcing new reasonable price limit at Rs944 and than Rs986 in September 2010.
The consumer price of cylinder once again witnessed sharp increase upto Rs 1141 until June 2011 forcing the OGRA to extend the reasonable price limit to Rs1230 in July 2011.
On December 2011 the consumer price of 11.8 kilograms LPG cylinder was 1333 against Ogra announced price of Rs 1355.