The National Assembly was informed here on Thursday that the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) earned a profit of Rs 5,689 million during the financial year 2005.
Federal Petroleum Minister Amanullah Khan Jadoon replying to a question by Sabir Hussain Awan, MNA, regarding the total number of PSO filling stations in the country and the profit earned by PSO during the last two years, said that 3,750 PSO filling stations are operating in the country and the entity earned profit of Rs 4,212 million in 2004.
Belum Hasnain, MNA, asked Communication Minister Muhammad Shamim Siddiqui regarding the number of retired army men who are receiving pension from post office and total commission received by the Pakistan Post Office.
The minister replied that Pakistan Post had received a total commission of Rs 363,848 million for disbursing pension to retired army personnel in 2005-06. The amount of commission received by the Pakistan Post during 2004-05 was Rs 526.076 million, he added.
M.P Ghandara from treasury asked the petroleum minister if there is any proposal under consideration to include parliamentarians in oil companies advisory committee. The petroleum minister replied that the subject of pricing has been transferred from OCAC to Ogra from April 4, 2006.
Muhammad Hussain Mehanti also asked the petroleum minister for the name of company to whom the contract for drilling of oil and gas at Safed Koh Block has been awarded, and the minimum financial commitment and working programme of the project. The minister replied that petroleum exploration license for Safed Koh Block was awarded to a joint venture of the Rally Energy Limited and the Dewan Petroleum Limited.
Amanullah Khan Jadoon said that the minimum work programme along with minimum financial commitment on which the oil drilling project was awarded was $2.2 million.
Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, MNA, asked the communication minister for the amount to be spent on the construction and repair of the road from Timargara to Dir. The minister replied that total cost for the widening and improvement in project is Rs 501.183 million.
Sabir Hussain Awan, MNA, asked Petroleum Minister Amanullah Jadoon if there is any proposal to lay gas pipeline from Gurguri and Shakardarah to Peshawar and the time by which the project will be started. Jadoon said that Shakardarah field operated by the OGDCL and Gurguri operated by MOL of Hungry are already connected to SNGPL's main transmission system at Kohat and the survey to extend the transmission network to Peshawar and Nowshera is being undertaken.
However, the minister said that the project will be implemented subject to availability of additional gas production from Gurguri for which additional wells are being planned to be drilled.
Samia Raheel Qazi, MNA, asked for the proposal to provide Hydraulic Rescue System to Motorway Police and the time by which it will be implemented.
The communication minister said that National Highway and Motorway Police are procuring Hydraulic Rescue System to rescue the commuters trapped inside the vehicle due to accidents on National Highways and Motorways, adding the equipment will be provided to National Highway and Motorway Police by the end of June 2006.
Liaquat Baloch from the opposition asked the law minister to inform about the fact that the last former federal ombudsman had authorised Nepra and Ogra to decide the public complaints relating to electricity and gas.
The law Minister negated that former ombudsman had authorised Nepra and Ogra to decide public complaints. The fact is that Nepra has been authorised to hear public complaints under section 39 of the Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power Ordinance and Ogra through section 11 of Oil and Regularity Authority Ordinance, he said.