Work on IP gas pipeline only after Iran curbs go, NA panel told

PSO to start selling high quality diesel from next Saturday

ISLAMABAD: The government will start work on the Pakistani section of Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline once the United States and the UN remove sanctions on Tehran, officials of the Ministry of Petroleum informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources here on Monday. 

An official of Interstate Gas Systems (ISGS) informed the parliamentary body that Iran was still facing sanctions and work on the section from Gwadar to Iranian border would be started after sanctions were over. The petroleum ministry officials said work had been stopped on the IP gas pipeline project due to sanctions.

The committee was also informed that Pakistan State Oil (PSO) will start selling high quality diesel from next Saturday after introducing upgraded petrol.  Managing Director PSO Imran Sheikh said high quality Altron-X diesel would reach in couple of days and the PSO would start marketing it within a week. 

The PSO had introduced RON 90 and RON 95 earlier and will introduce ALTRON X diesel now in next few days, he said. It was further informed that the transit agreement on Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) had been finalized and India would give transit fee to Pakistan and Afghanistan under this project. 

It was informed that work on clearing mines in Afghanistan on TAPI route had been started.  Petroleum Secretary Arshad Mirza told the committee that money collected through Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) was being spent on gas pipelines. 

DG Gas said the government had collected Rs170 billion through the GIDC so far. Secretary petroleum said the country was facing four billion cubic feet per day gas shortage. 

Nawab Ali Wassan said Sindh was facing more gas load shedding than the other provinces. He said managing director SSGC had not responded whenever he was approached for resolving complaints.

Chairperson Ogra Uzma Adil Khan said the regulator would not give LPG refueling licenses to the defaulter CNG stations.  She said the Ogra had received 35 applications for setting up LPG retail outlets. She said the Ogra did not hold any public hearing after retirement of Member Gas Amir Naseem for lack of quorum.

Uzma said gas distribution license was issued to a Karachi-based company after fulfilling all legal requirements. The company had filed an application for license nine months back and regulator had held public hearing. The Pakistan State Oil (PSO) had objected to the naming of the company that was changed later as Gaseous Distribution Company (GDC). 

The Member Gas was going to retire and therefore the license was issued after one day the company was registered to avoid quorum issue. She said that only name of company was changed and no director or other thing was changed. Had the regulator to conduct public hearing again after retirement of Member gas if it would not have issued license, she said.