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MULTAN, Oct 28 (APP):A division bench of Multan regional office of Federal Ombudsman on Tuesday ordered SNGPL to install domestic gas connection at the house of a complainant observing that Demand Notices paid before Dec 25, 2021, the day when ban on new gas connection was enforced, do not fall in the Re-Gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) policy.
The decision, delivered by a division bench headed by Muhammad Rashid Qamar, Multan Advisor to the Federal Ombudsman, with Sheikh Noor Muhammad, Consultant, as member, clarified that the RLNG-based gas policy does not apply to cases where Demand Notices were paid prior to the ban’s enforcement.
The order came in response to a complaint filed by Hafiz Muhammad Saleem Arif, a resident of Muzaffargarh, who reported that he applied for new gas connection in 2017 but Demand Notice was issued after four years in 2021 and he paid it on time. However, the SNGPL kept delaying the connection installation and dragged the matter for months. Later, government imposes ban and his request was denied. He said, gas supply to the colony was continuing for the last three decades.
During the hearing, the bench summoned the concerned SNGPL official, who failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the delay. The Ombudsman’s bench observed that the applicant had fulfilled all requirements well before the government’s moratorium.
In its detailed judgment, the bench ruled that the ban imposed on December 25, 2021, cannot be applied to cases where demand notices were paid earlier and directed SNGPL to install the gas connection without further delay.
The complainant expressed his gratitude to the Federal Ombudsman for addressing his grievances.