Sindh demands new accord with centre for getting due share in gas reserves

In view of the rampant complaints of gas shortage in the province, the Sindh government has urged the centre to sign with it a new accord for securing the due share of Sindh in the natural gas produced in the country.

The demand to this effect was made by Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh while addressing a press conference at his office on Tuesday. He lamented that consumers in Sindh had not been getting even half of the volume of natural gas produced in the province. He said the Sindh government would not withdraw from whatever was the due and rightful share of the consumers in the province in the gas reserves of the country as per the constitution.

The minister said the sense of deprivation among the consumers in Sindh had been increasing the way they had to face energy shortages for their domestic and workplace needs during winter. He informed the media persons that Sindh had been producing up to 2,100 mmcfd of natural gas while the gas demand of the province stood around 1,600 to 1,700 mmcfd. Against this demand, Sindh was being supplied merely 700 to 800 mmcfd of gas, he said.

He said industries in Karachi, which is the economic and industrial hub of the country, should not face gas shortages during winter as resultantly the national economy would gravely suffer. He said the concerned industrialists of Karachi should not be made to purchase expensive RLNG when the province had ample reserves of gas to fulfil the energy needs of the industries.

Sheikh warned that unemployment in the country would further increase if the industry had to face gas shortages in the winter season. He also demanded of the federal government to give representation to Sindh on the governing boards of the national energy organisations. He said the Sindh government should get representation on the board of directors of K-Electric also. He said the concerns of the Sindh government should be allayed by the centre otherwise the issues would be raised in the parliament.