Islamabad: A sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum on Friday unanimously agreed to accord top priority to providing natural gas to the remaining 42 villages located within a five-kilometre radius of the Badar Gas Field in Ghotki district.
The project is estimated to cost Rs617 million.
The meeting, chaired by Senator Jam Saifullah Khan, reviewed the implementation of the prime minister’s directive issued on September 15, 2003, and the Supreme Court’s directions regarding gas supply to villages located near gas-producing fields.
Senators Manzoor Ahmed Kakar and Haji Hidayatullah Khan attended the meeting. Senior officials from the Petroleum Division, Finance Division, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), Mari Energies and other relevant organisations were also present.
The Special Secretary of the Petroleum Division, officials of the Finance Division and the Chairman of OGRA assured the committee that an initial allocation of Rs200 million would be released from a Rs1 billion fund to immediately begin the Badar Gas Field gasification project.
The Managing Director of SSGCL informed the committee that the company would provide its share of the funding and immediately start technical, engineering and procurement work.
The committee was informed that project mobilisation would begin within 10 days of the release of the initial funds.
The Petroleum and Finance divisions also assured the committee that the remaining funds required for the project would be arranged without interruption to ensure its timely completion.
During the meeting, the Petroleum Division informed the committee that comprehensive policy guidelines were being finalised to implement the prime minister’s directive and the Supreme Court’s orders regarding gas supply to villages located within five kilometres of gas-producing fields.
The division said the final policy framework would be presented at the committee’s next meeting after consultations with all relevant stakeholders.
It also undertook to present a comprehensive implementation framework covering the final policy guidelines, funding arrangements for all remaining eligible villages across the country, stakeholder-wise financial commitments, a district-wise implementation schedule and definite timelines for completion.
The sub-committee decided to review progress on all commitments at its next meeting.
It directed all ministries, regulatory bodies and companies concerned to fulfil their commitments and take the necessary administrative, financial and regulatory measures to expedite implementation of the prime minister’s directive and the Supreme Court’s orders.
The committee appreciated the commitments made by the Chairman of OGRA, the secretaries of the Petroleum and Finance divisions, the Managing Director of SSGCL and other stakeholders to resolve the long-pending issue.
It stressed that these commitments must translate into tangible progress and that no further avoidable delay should occur in extending natural gas to villages located within the prescribed five-kilometre radius of gas-producing fields.
The sub-committee also directed that the assurances given by the Chairman of OGRA, the secretaries of the Petroleum and Finance divisions and the Managing Director of SSGCL be made part of the official record and used to review compliance at its next meeting.