News Desk |
Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered the immediate removal of the board of directors (BoDs) of the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC). In a statement on Thursday, the prime minister said that the government will not tolerate any inconvenience to the masses.
“We will resolve the gas crisis at all costs and responsible people will not be spared,” he said. Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered the constitution of a fact-finding committee for an inquiry against managing directors (MDs) of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) over a prevailing gas shortfall in the country and has sought a report in 72 hours.
The SSGCL’s decision to halt gas supply prompted a protest from CNG associations who had threatened to block Karachi’s main artery Shahrah-e-Faisal if supply was not resumed.
The SSGCL had announced late Tuesday it was discontinuing gas supply to CNG stations and captive power plants of all general industries for an indefinite period of time as it was facing acute shortage of gas and low pressure in the system.
Taking notice of the ongoing gas crisis, that is disturbing routine life and commercial activities across the country, Prime Minister Khan chaired a meeting in Islamabad to review the situation.
The premier was briefed by said Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar that the two companies demonstrated incompetence and withheld information on demand & supply of gas, on which PM Khan constituted a committee.
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The committee, headed by Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Chairperson Uzma Adil Khan, comprises Qazi Saleem Siddiqui (Privatisation Commission Director General), Shahid Yousaf (DG Gas )and Imran Ahmed (DG LG).
“The committee is to conduct an inquiry against MD SNGPL and MD SSGCL. The report of the committee is to be submitted in 72 hours,” read a notification issued by the Ministry of Energy’s Petroleum Division.
The notification said the two top bosses of gas supply companies were accused of demonstrating “negligence in reporting of facts to the ministry or incompetence to deal with operational issues, withholding of information from the government and overall systematic governance failure SNGPL and SSGCL.”
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The SSGCL’s decision to halt gas supply prompted a protest from CNG associations who had threatened to block Karachi’s main artery Shahrah-e-Faisal if supply was not resumed. The talks between the officials from SSGCL and the CNG association ended without any positive outcome.