Balochistan senators decry low gas pressure

ISLAMABAD: Lawmakers belonging to Balochistan in the Senate on Tuesday decried low gas pressure in Quetta, Ziarat, Kalat and other areas and warned if the government was unable to do the needful, gas must not be taken out of the province.

Senators from both sides of the aisle proposed referral of the matter to the House standing committee or a special committee be formed to take it up. They complained the problems and points they raised in the House are often taken as a joke. “Don’t push us to an extent, you start saying, we talk bitterly,” the PML-Q Senator Rubina Irfan and Saeedul Hasan Mandokhail said during debate on an adjournment motion moved by the PkMAP Senator Usman Khan Kakar.

Rubina said she had come from Kalat, where temperature was minus 13 centigrade. The MQM Senator Tahir Hussain Mashahadi said that gas supply was made to Quetta after 20 years of its discovery in Sui, while it had reached across Pakistan by that time. Usman Kakar claimed that gas pressure in Quetta, Ziarat and some other areas was almost nil and hence 80 percent areas were without gas. He demanded the government to take immediate steps to increase gas pressure. “We neither get jobs as per quota, nor our share from the resources polled from Balochistan. Please, don’t push us to the wall,” warned Mandokhail.

The PPP Senator Farhatullah Babar pointed out that gas was being taken out from Balochistan, but people of that province were being denied and the province topped the list of missing persons. Because of non-construction of dams there, he noted, underground water level had gone down to 1000-1200 feet, forcing people to migrate to other areas. He proposed formation of a special committee to keep an eye on  the assurances to be given by the minister concerned on the issue of low gas pressure in the province.

Balochistan National Party-Mengal Senator Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldeni said that Pakistan’s 85 percent industry used to be run on gas from Sui and then empires like SSGC and SNGPL and OGDCL were built, but Balochistan was deprived of the gas facility, services and royalty, which he called discriminatory treatment.

The PML-N’s Kulsoom Parveen lamented that since 1950s, gas supply was made to just five districts of the province while the rest relied on other means.The JUI-F Senator Hafiz Hamdullah complained that gas tariff was being increased regularly and bill sent to consumers, who hardly got it. He said gas royalty to the tune of Rs800 billion must be paid to the province and then it should be left to it to arrange gas from Turkmenistan or any other country on its own.

Sassui Palijo of the PPP disputed the statistics about usage of gas by Punjab. She proposed that the matter of low gas supply to Balochistan should be referred to the Council of Common Interests.

The National Party’s Amir Kabeer said that instead of planned supply of at least 20 million cubic feet gas, Zarghon Gas Fields was supplying 10 percent of it. He said as per Geo News, Kalat was the coldest city.

Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi conceded that the gas pressure was low and that Quetta’s gas supply was 180 million cubic feet, but it was being supplied 147 million cubic feet and hence there was a shortfall of 20 percent, which was not being fulfilled even by shutting CNG stations and a power plant there. He said 24 sites had been selected for supply of air mixed LPG that would help reduce the problem and from next year, gas supply would improve considerably.

By spending Rs240 million, gas supply in Mastung and Kalat had been improved, he noted, and revealed that in Quetta alone, recoveries from gas consumers were just 10 percent but on humanitarian grounds, gas supply was not cut off.

The Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani proposed to Senator Rubina to have consultation with other female senators to consider tabling a bill, focusing on Islamabad against lifting of new-born babies from hospitals and the piece of legislation could then be sent to the provinces to follow suit.

On a point of public importance, Balochistan National Party Senator Dr Jehangzeb Jamaldeni claimed that a major discovery had been made in one of the most backward districts of Balochistan, Washuk, and the area had been cordoned off by FC and other forces. He wanted to know who had issued the licence for this activity and where would this fuel be supplied, as people of Washuk could surely not get it.

The chairman admitted identical adjournment motions moved by Senator Taj Haider and Mohsin Aziz regarding the dismantling of Tuwairqi Steel Mills in Karachi, due to imposition of GIDC in violation of an MoU by the federal government. The mills investment was $340 million, which was to be enhanced to $1.2 billion.

Discussion on these motions would take place on Monday, as fixed by the chair.Minister for Law and Justice Pervaiz Rashid laid before the House Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015.

Two bills: The Minimum Wages for Unskilled Workers (Amendment) Bill 2015 and The Pakistan Health Research Council Bill, 2015 were referred to the standing committees concerned. These have already been passed by the National Assembly.

The House unanimously adopted a resolution in connection with International Working Women Day, acknowledging that women and men are equal partners and should have same rights and responsibilities.

The resolution moved by ANP’s Sitara Ayaz appreciated role and contribution of working women for betterment of socio-economic life of the country. It called for ensuring secure, harassment-free and healthy environment to working women.