Eight SSGC officers go underground to escape operation by Rangers

ISLAMABAD: Managing Director of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) Khalid Rehman has said that eight officers of the gas company have gone underground to escape the ongoing operation by the Rangers in Karachi while the deputy managing director of the company, currently in the custody of Rangers, is alleged to have been involved in terror funding activities.
He said this on Tuesday in a meeting of NA’s Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources chaired by Bilal Ahmed Virk.
Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi informed the committee that his ministry was going to send a summary to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) seeking lifting of ban on commercial and industrial gas connections.
Referring to gas theft, the minister said that in tehsil Karak alone, gas worth Rs13 billion has been stolen so far.
The minister said no gas was available for new domestic consumers in the Punjab province while a ban was imposed on commercial and industrial connections in 2011.
Director General Petroleum Concession (GDPC) Saeed Ullah Shah told the committee that the government had started proceedings against those exploration and production (E&P) companies in the oil and gas sector which have failed to initiate development activities in their blocs. “We have initiated the proceedings against six E&P companies who have stalled their operations in their blocs without any valid reason,” Shah said. Members of the committee, however, asked him to bring all the information about the E&P companies in the next meeting.
The top officials of the Sui Northern disclosed that an illegal network of 1,500 kilometer gas pipeline exists in Karak and Rs6.6 billion are required to replace it. Till now, gas worth Rs13 billion has been stolen in Karak. “We have collected 1,800 applications in Karak seeking gas connections but no one is ready to deposit the fee,” one of the members of the committee said adding in some pockets of KPK, natural Sui gas was being filled in tyres and the KPK police had registered 139 cases on the complaints of Sui Northern. Akram Durrani, member of the committee, said that in the head of royalty, the government has to pay Rs27 billion but it is still reluctant to spend Rs3 billion to lay down the gas pipeline network.