ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has taken action against Hascol Petroleum Limited (HPL) over operating illegal/unauthorised storage and selling of petroleum products (petrol and diesel) at Amangarh Depot.

Based on the investigation and the documents, provided by the HPL, it was proved that the HPL remained involved in severe violations of Law/Rules and failed to provide reasonable justification for the operation of this depot despite OGRA’s clear directives for the stoppage of operation of Amangarh Depot, till the fulfillment of all legal requirements and the OGRA’s permission in January 2020.

The company was served with show cause notice on October 13, 2020 on the illegal operation of Amangarh Depot and to explain the facts by appearance.

After hearing and due consideration, the Authority suspended Hascol Petroleum Limited’s marketing activities in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and directed them to immediately stop all marketing activities/sales at outlets in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa till further orders.

Further, in order to avoid any inconvenience to general public, all Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) are directed to augment supplies to their retail outlets in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

In addition to the above, the authority also imposed a penalty of Rs10 million on breach of rules by the HPL.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020