Islamabad: Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain has objected to CNG pricing formula, while Oil and Gas Regulation Authority (OGRA) suggested gas tariff hike.
The petroleum minister revealed that CNG stations get gas for Rs 23 a kilogram and they sell it to the consumers for Rs 56 a kilogram.
He disclosed these at the National Assembly Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Resources. The meeting was headed by Sardar Talib Nakai.
The petroleum minister said the CNG pricing and distribution formula needed an urgent review. Prime Minister Pakistan Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has ordered an inquiry into the issuance of licenses for CNG stations in violation of the ban, he added.
OGRA officials told the committee an increase of Rs 13.55 per unit for all gas consumers has been proposed.
Petroleum Secretary Ijaz Chaudhry said it was impossible to provide gas to the fertilizer sector as well as four IPPs (Independent Power Producers) simultaneously. However, he said, the domestic consumers were being provided uninterrupted supply of gas.
MD OGRA, Arif Hameed, admitted there was no law to implicate gas thieves. He said gas supply to industrial defaulters of Rs 0.6 billion has been disconnected.
