Irked by gas shortages, PM calls for reform

ISLAMABAD: Taking notice of complaints by the domestic consumers, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the authorities to effectively address the ongoing gas supply shortage in the country through reforms in the existing system.

While chairing a meeting to review the situation of gas supply across the country, the prime minister said that ensuring uninterrupted gas supply to domestic consumers is the government’s top priority and any negligence in this regard would not be tolerated.

During the briefing, the prime minister was informed that there was a surplus of re-gasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) in the system, leading to improvements in gas load management compared to last year.

The meeting was told that the duration of gas load-shedding this year was shorter compared to last year, adding gas is being provided to domestic consumers from 5am to 10pm, while gas is also being provided to the power sector according to its demand.

The meeting was told that the online dashboards for consumer complaints operated by Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) were functional.

The complaint resolution rate for SNGPL stood at 93 percent, whereas, SSGC achieved a resolution rate of 79percent. Besides, all gas fields in the country were active.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahmad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik, and senior concerned officials.