ISLAMABAD: Special Committee of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has
directed ministry of petroleum all the private companies found involved
in financial irregularities in Oil and Gas Development Company Limited
(OGDCL) projects and its allied departments be blacklisted and be kept
away from OGDCL projects.
Committee met here under Begum Yasmin
Rehman in parliament house Monday and reviewed the audit objections
related to review the audit objections pertaining to ministry of
petroleum and its subordinate departments.
Managing Director
(MD) Sui Southern Gas Company (SSPC) told OGRA had prevented us from
registration of FIR against gas stealers.
Members of committee
Qamar Zaman Kaira said how could OGRA ask any gas company not to
register FIR against gas stealers. FIR should be registered against the
person who had given such order, he said.
Secretary Petroleum
told the committee that an influential person in Punjab was involved in
gas stealing and a sum of Rs 230 million were outstanding against him
on account of arrear bills. His gas supply was disconnected but he
restored it on his own. “We will now register FIR against him now”, he
added.
Audit told OGDCL dug 17 wells at the cost of Rs 3
billion across the country for exploration of gas but these wells have
not started gas production so far.
Secretary Petroleum said
production could not be started due to security reason at some places
and lack of infrastructure at other places,
Committee
chairperson Begum Yasmin Rehman said government departments shift their
corruption cases to NAB, FIA and PAC and they don’t conduct any
departmental inquiry on their own. This way inquiry is prolonged.
Committee
inquired from ministry about current status of Tharcoal project.
Secretary petroleum told 6 billion dollars are required for this
project. Federal government had provided 2.70 billion rupees so far. No
country or company was ready to make such huge investment, he stated.
Coal available in Thar was also not of high standard. Dr Smar Man
Mubarak has devised method of gasification. First gas fire is ready for
Thar coal project and it will start functioning from the next month. Online
