By Asad Cheema
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Energy on Thursday directed the Petroleum Division to pass on instructions to all the exploration and production companies to prioritise employment opportunities to skilled and unskilled workforce in their area of operation.
The committee, which met at the Parliament House with Aamir Talal Gopang in the chair, also directed the Division to ensure supply of gas to local population residing within five kilometers radius of the gas fields.
It decided to discuss the Pakistan Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority Bill, 2021 after 30 days providing an opportunity to the Petroleum Division to address the concerns raised by the provinces on the bill.
The committee was apprised that on its directions a reference was sent to the Cabinet Committee on Energy for lifting up of moratorium on new gas connections to the extent where demand notices had been deposited. However, the latter did not agree with the proposal on the pretext of non-availability of gas, which was further ratified by the Federal Cabinet.
The Secretary Petroleum informed the meeting that due to continuous depletion of gas reservoirs, installation of new gas connections would not be possible.
He suggested that a serious thought should be given to shift the gas to power sector for cheaper electricity generation for further use for domestic purposes.
He further apprised that the Division had identified various offshore and onshore blocks which would be offered for exploration of gas and petrol. He said that offshore exploration had huge potential. The committee later approved the Gas (Theft Control and Recovery ) Amendment Bill, 2023 as introduced in the National Assembly.
It was apprised that the Bill “seeks replacement of the words Federal Government with Minister for Law and Justice in Section 3 of the Original Act”.
The powers of Federal Government would be delegated to Minister for Law for establishment of gas utility courts, setting up of territorial limits of the courts and for disposal of day to day business in that connection.
The committee also disposed of few matters referred by the House either due to continuous absence of the movers or the departments concerned had already taken appropriate measures to address those issues.
The committee also decided to recommend to the Federal Government to channelise import and sale of Iranian petroleum products in the country, which would add up revenue in the government exchequer, besides eliminating the bane of smuggling.
The meeting was attended by members of the National Assembly Asiya Aleem, Ghaus Bux Khan Mahar, Shahida Akthar Ali, Zulfiqar Behan, Zulfiqar Bachani, Ch Khalid Javed and Sardar Riaz Mehmood Khan Mazari, Secretary Petroleum Division, managing directors of SNGPL, OGDCL and SSGCL, and senior officers of the departments concerned under the Petroleum Division.
