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ISLAMABAD, Dec 08 (APP):Minister for Energy (Petroleum Division) Ali Pervaiz Malik on Monday apprised the National Assembly that that domestic gas supplies in current winter are significantly higher than last year adding that complaints are being addressed on a priority basis.
Responding to a calling attention notice raised by Ms Naeema Kishwer Khan, Mr Noor Alam Khan and others regarding prolonged load-shedding of sui gas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly Mardan and adjoining areas, he said overall gas availability to household consumers on the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) network had improved. About 590 million cubic feet per day (MMCFD) gas is being supplied to domestic consumers this November as compared with last year of 460 MMCFD, showing an increase of roughly 26 per cent.
He said that Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) had also increased supplies to the domestic sector in its franchise area by around 18–20 per cent.
Ali Pervaiz Malik said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was personally reviewing the gas situation and had held a dedicated meeting earlier in the day to ensure uninterrupted supply to household consumers during peak cooking and heating hours.
He said that the government’s clear policy was to prioritise domestic consumers, particularly between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., while managing overall system constraints during the winter season.
He informed the House that SNGPL had carried out network adjustments and rehabilitation work in localities including Gujar Ghari and Katlang (Mardan District) after issues of low pressure. The company had now reported normalisation of pressure in the area, he added.
The minister said SNGPL currently serves nearly seven to eight million domestic consumers, and in November around 90,000 complaints were lodged, of which 95–96 per cent were resolved within the 36-hour service-level benchmark prescribed by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA).
He emphasised that local SNGPL teams remained in contact with elected representatives and were instructed to prioritize redressal of low-pressure and load-shedding complaints at the tail-end of the network.
Referring to queries regarding Balochistan, particularly Quetta, Ali Pervaiz Malik explained that the province’s winter demand rises from about 60 MMCFD in summer to nearly 170–180 MMCFD in peak season, which is higher than local production.
To bridge this gap, additional volumes are transported from Sindh, and the government has made arrangements for 20–30 MMCFD of extra gas for Quetta and surrounding areas. He acknowledged challenges such as gas theft and meter tampering, but said efforts were under way to strengthen enforcement while still protecting genuine domestic consumers.
Ali Pervaiz Malik assured the House that the Petroleum Division would continue to coordinate closely with the gas utilities to minimise hardship for consumers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and other regions during the winter months, and that Parliament would be kept fully informed about supply, demand and corrective measures.