KARACHI: Sindh Energy Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that Sindh is currently the largest gas producing province with a total production of 1800 mmcfd to 2000 mmcfd, which is 65 percent of the total gas production in the country.
He said currently 900 mmcfd gas is being supplied to Sindh while the requirement is 1600 mmcfd gas. Under Article 158 of the Constitution, the first right of the province from which gas is extracted is not being implemented and the people of Sindh province are facing shortage of gas.
He expressed these views while presiding over a high-level meeting of the Directorate of Oil and Gas. Secretary Energy Mossadiq Ahmad Khan, Chairman District Council Sukkur Syed Kamil Haider Shah, Director Oil and Gas Khadim Hussain and Aamir Mujbata were also present.
Gas shortages in Sindh becoming increasingly acute
The Minister Energy was told in the meeting that according to Article 172(3) of the Constitution, mineral oil and natural gas should be distributed equally between the federation and the provinces, and under the same Article, there should be representation of Sindh in the boards of directors of companies related to oil and gas like PSO, PPL, OGDCL, Sui Southern Gas, etc.
It was further informed that the interim government allowed the sale of 35 percent of natural gas to the third party and approved the ‘tight gas policy’ 2024, which was not their authority.
Apart from this, the federal government is going to introduce a new LNG policy on which the Sindh government has serious concerns.
Minister Energy said on this occasion that the representation of Sindh should be included in the boards of directors of oil and gas related companies under the federation. He said he will talk to the federal government for the implementation of Article 158 and Article 172(3) of the Constitution and also demand that they should be implemented as soon as possible.
He directed that steps should be taken on a solid basis to increase revenue in the oil and gas sector. He added that consumers of Sindh province are their first priority regarding gas supply.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024