ISLAMABAD: The Senate Committee on Cabinet Secretariat took severe notice of LPG bowser explosion in Multan and constituted a sub-committee to probe the hazardous mixing of LPG with CO2 and directed the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) in formulating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the prevention of this menace in the future.
The committee met with Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hassan in the chair at the Parliament house on Thursday.
The committee discussed the recent incident in Multan LPG bowser blast and issues relating to Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority (NAPHDA), and the National Seed Development and Regulatory Authority (NSDRA).
The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat took stern notice of the LPG bowser explosion in Multan which claimed eight precious lives and inflicted minor and major injuries on 38 individuals.
The OGRA Chairman, Masroor Khan, told the committee that “the mafia involved in LPG theft replaces LPG with CO2 for hefty returns. LPG cost around Rs250,000 per ton as compared to the low cost CO2 which cost around Rs30,000 per ton. The LPG carriers mixed the LPG with the CO2 at some unidentified places after filling bowsers from refinery.”
Multan’s City Police Officer (CPO) Sadiq Ali informed the committee that four culprits involved in this heinous act have been arrested and FIR has been registered under the anti-terrorism act.
However, a similar incident occurred in Dera Ghazi Khan, resulting in no loss of human life, he said. Senator Farooq H Naek lamented the authorities, stating that 171 cases have been registered in January alone, reflecting the inefficiency of civil administration.
Senator Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee inquired about the existing number of bowsers and the companies associated with the LPG business. The OGRA chairman replied that 300 companies associated with the LPG and as of now, 2,000 registered bowsers in the country.
Senator Nyazee suggested that the OGRA should make guidelines for LPG operators restricting them from stopping at unidentified places.
After discussion, the committee chairman constituted a sub-committee to investigate the hazardous mixing of LPG with CO2 and directed the OGRA chairman to formulate SOPs for the prevention of this menace in the future.
The NAPHDA chairman briefed the committee about the working and performance of the authority during the last three years. The NAPHDA chairman informed that the authority was created with a vision to make affordable housing for the needy, and in the last 62 years, the authority has constructed 59,500 homes in various locations across the country mainly, Sargodha, Chiniot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad and Lahore, with the collaboration of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said that the authority construct 3.5 marla homes with the minimal cost of 2.7 million and also facilitate loans to land owners wiling to build homes for themselves.
The committee inquired whether the homes completed by NAPHDA had been delivered. The NAPHA chairman replied that the homes made in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been delivered. However, the homes completed in Sargodha and Chiniot couldn’t be delivered due to insufficient disbursement of funds from the Finance Ministry, he said.
The committee decided to call upon the Finance Ministry in the next meeting for the immediate delivery of homes to avoid deterioration.
Senator Naek inquired about any existing collaboration with Sindh and Balochistan. The NAPHDA chairman stated that both the provinces have not extended any cooperation despite several attempts to contact them.
The committee decided to call upon the chief secretaries of both the provinces for probable collaboration between the provinces and the NAPHDA.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments