KARACHI: Members of the Sindh Assembly were on Monday informed that the federal government, and not the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), was responsible for the gas shortage and loadshedding in the province.

This was the crux of a detailed briefing given to MPAs by SSGC Managing Director Imran Maniar regarding gas crisis and loadshedding. The briefing was held at the Sindh Assembly’s Committee Room and each member of parliamentary parties attended the sitting, which was chaired by Pakistan Peoples Party’s Ghulam Qadir Chandio.

The SSGC chief said that the natural gas was supplied in different parts of the country on the instructions of the federal government. “The federal government tells us how much gas is to give to whom,” he said.

He added that the supplying gas to domestic consumers was the top priority of the gas utility.

During the current assembly session Grand Democratic Alliance’s MPA Nand Kumar Goklani had presented a resolution in the house on the gas crisis. Deputy Speaker Rehana Leghari decided to summon the SSGC chief to take a briefing from him on this issue.

The SSGC chief said that the gas given to the gas utility by the federal government was what it supplied to the consumers.

He said that gas was produced in both Sindh and Balochistan and conceded that bulk of the natural resource was produced in Sindh.

Mr Maniar said that there was a shortage of over 300 MMcf/d gas as the demand was 1,110 MMcf/d, while the supply was 810 MMcf/d. “The 300 MMcf/d is the shortfall that lasts the whole year,” he added.

He said that 93 per cent domestic consumers were being given gas in the province.

In response to a member’s question, he said that there were some areas in Karachi which were far away. “It is difficult to deliver gas there,” he added.

When one of the MPAs drew his attention toward the constitutional provision of natural resources in the province, the SSGC chief said that the gas utility was trying to give the gas that was produced here in the people, adding “but it is not in our hands”.

He said that the country did not have coal-to-gas facilities. “It is necessary to have a policy on coal-to-gas production,” he stressed.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2023