2.5 Million New Connection Applications are Pending at SNGPL

Around 2.5 million applications for new gas connections are pending at Sui Northern Gas Company Limited (SNGPL). An SNGPL official told this to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Energy.

Mahmood Zia Ahmad, the Managing Director of SNGPL, briefed the committee that the company had okayed 400,000 new connections during the last fiscal year and vowed to install the same number of gas connections this year as well.

He apprised the parliament body that the numbers of applications for new connections are rising every day and that around 2.5 million are pending at the company.

The committee was concerned about the situation and directed relevant authorities to devise a strategy to deal with it. The convener of the committee, MNA Imran Khattak urged SNGPL to increase the number of applicants they can deal with.

Gas connections are the basic need of every citizen building a new house.

Asad Umar, one of the members of the committee said that SNGPL is a commercial entity and it should ensure the provision of as many new connections as possible.

Increased number of consumers would help generate more revenue.

To this, the chairperson of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Uzma Adil said the authority had restricted gas companies to issue only a specific number of connections every year. She said that this was necessary for regulation as the companies would not be able to sustain themselves if the limit was removed.

The members formed a sub-committee under Defence Minister Pervez Khattak to address the issue of gas connections for new projects. The committee also includes secretaries of petroleum, cabinet and planning divisions.

Via: Profit