Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervez Malik informed the National Assembly that the Prime Minister has directed authorities to ensure an uninterrupted gas supply for domestic consumers from 5 am to 10 pm during the winter season.
Responding to a call-attention notice raised by MNAs Shaheeda Begum and Noor Alam Khan, he said that gas demand normally increases during winter, and the Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting today to review the current situation and issued necessary instructions.
The minister said that load-shedding has clearly reduced compared to last year. According to him, domestic consumers were provided around 460 MMCFD of LNG in November last year, whereas this November, the supply has increased to nearly 590 MMCFD, showing an increase of around 26%.
He added that Sui Southern Gas Company areas are also receiving nearly 18% additional supply, and complaint numbers have significantly declined compared to last winter.
While responding to Noor Alam Khan’s concerns, the minister stated that over PKR 500 million has been spent on repairing 29 operational phases in Peshawar, and work is ongoing on a 250-kilometer pipeline in the city, costing over PKR 2 billion.
He pointed out that the cost of gas supply is around 1500 UBT, while the government is charging only 1000 to 1100 UBT from domestic users. He also acknowledged that local gas in Balochistan cannot meet winter demand; therefore, supplies are being supplemented from KP and Sindh.
The minister further admitted that Quetta faces serious issues related to gas theft and bill tampering. Around 7 to 8 million domestic consumers are on the SNGPL network, while 80,000 to 90,000 complaints were received this November. Of these, around 70% to 80% were addressed within 36 hours, he claimed.
He assured that any gas pressure issue pointed out by citizens would be addressed promptly.
