Gas price hikes angers Shehbaz, as he orders a forensic audit
Business
Seeks plans to establish industrial zones for boosting power consumption, tackling circular debt
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Expressing his anger over the recent gas price hikes, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to review the performance of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) as well as Sui Northern and Sui Southern – the two companies responsible for distribution in Pakistan.
In this regard, the prime minister has defined and set 16 tasks with a clear timeline, ordering the Ministry of Energy to execute these within one to three months.
Moreover, Shehbaz also ordered to submit a report in a month after conducting a forensic audit of the latest gas tariff hikes.
On the other hand, the prime minister also wants progress on the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline and has directed to immediately set up an inter-ministerial commission to monitor the project.
As far as the surplus electricity is concerned, Shehbaz directed to draft and present a plan on establishing new industrial zone to boost power consumption within a month.
When it comes to the chronic problem of circular debt, the prime minister directed the respective authorities in power and petroleum divisions to find a lasting solution – giving them a two-week period –so that the energy price hikes could be avoided.
The orders also cover issues like gas infrastructure and theft along with the poor performance of the related officials and companies.
