Sindh insists CCI is to decide on gas distribution

The Sindh government has come crystal that no cabinet body is authorized to decide on the gas distribution among the provinces. Only the Council of Common Interest is an appropriate forum to decide the issue, it says.
Sindh Energy Minister who briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum said neither the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet nor the Cabinet Committee on Energy was authorized to make decisions regarding gas distribution among the provinces reiterating Sindh’s stand that CCI was the only appropriate forum for such decisions.
Sindh is producing 2500 mmcfd to 2600 mmcfd of natural gas and in return getting only 900 mmcfd to 1000 mmcfd against the demand of 1500 mmcfd to 1750 mmcfd.
The Senate Standing Committees on Petroleum which took Sindh’s case as regards the gas distribution as Sindh has complaints that Article 158 of the constitution relating to the oil and gas sector is being violated.
Federal Minister for Petroleum, Omer Ayub requested the committee to defer the agenda item related to gas distribution among the provinces as Special Advisor to Prime Minister, Nadeem Babar will visit Sindh to discuss this issue. He said the government wanted to resolve the issue with mutual understanding.
Interestingly enough secretary Energy Sindh said the issue of gas distribution was not on the agenda of SAPM. However, Secretary Petroleum Division, Asad Hayauddin insisted it was on the agenda of the meeting.
The CCI has given direction regarding the gas distribution among the provinces. The council has directed to give preference to the domestic consumers of all the provinces.
Secretary Energy Sindh Mussadiq Khan Tahirkhaili said article 158 of the constitution has clearly stated that the province from where the gas is being extracted will have the first right on gas usages.
The committee was informed that the gas shortage was discussed by CCI in detail and had constituted a committee to probe the matter. The report of the CCI committee is awaited, it was informed.
Situation in Balochistan
THE winter season has almost drawn to a close but some parts of the provincial capital are still facing a shortage of natural gas.
Many areas in the center of the city do without gas for several hours each day. The situation is worse on the outskirts of the city, even though the Sui Southern Gas Company says theres no longer a shortage. The people of Killi Qambrani, a suburban area to the south of Quetta, have had to contend with the problem right from the start of the season and are still doing so. In January, Quetta was blanketed with snow, which turned the weather frosty. With the fall of snow, the supply of gas to the residents was almost discontinued. Balochistan was the first province in the country where gas was first discovered. Gas reserves were found back in 1952 in the Sul town of Dera Bugti district. Unfortunately, Quetta was provided gas not until 1985, which speaks volumes about the injustices faced by the province. Today, only five districts out of Balochistans 34 districts are connected to the national grid.
This winter was a particularly harsh one, particularly for the province`s nine districts.
Because it snowed frequently many people lost their lives and many others were marooned in the snow. Also, many heads of cattle died due to the harsh weather. All the nine MPAs from Quetta, along with their colleagues in the Balochistan Assembly, mounted protests against the unabated gas load shedding in the city