Standing Committee on Energy has unanimously approved the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (Amendment) Bill, 2017 without amendments while the committee has deferred discussion on the Regulation of Generation, Transmission, and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Bill, 2017 until the next meeting.
The committee has also directed the petroleum division to ensure supply of sufficient quantity of motor gasoline by the oil marketing companies (OMC) in the country to meet the demand. Similarly, the committee also asked Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to take up the issue of induction of oil tankers compliant with the technical standards with OMCs, in addition to taking necessary steps for laying underground pipelines for oil transportation. The committee met under the chairmanship of Ch Bilal Ahmad Virk, MNA in Islamabad, Thursday afternoon.
While briefing the committee on the issue of reported shortage of petrol in the country, petroleum division secretary informed that due to less import of motor gasoline by the marketing companies during the months of August and September, the shortage was reported in Lahore region which was mitigated on war footing basis. He further informed that in order to meet the enhanced demand of motor gasoline and to build up healthy stocks of the product, OMCs have been directed to import additional volumes in October. Failure in doing so will lead punitive action to be taken against them.
The committee directed OGRA and the petroleum division to keep a vigilant eye on the imports of OMCs and to ensure their storage capacity against the quota. One of the members also highlighted the illegal sale of smuggled petrol in the country. The committee members agreed upon extending an invitation to the representatives of Pakistan Customs, FIA and heads of provincial police departments to discuss the issue of the sale of smuggled petrol in the country.
The meeting was attended by Ch Abid Sher Ali, Minister of State for Power, Jamal Kamal Khan, Minister of State for Petroleum, MNAs, Malik Ihtebar Khan, Mr. Muhammad Afzal Khokhar, Syed Muhammad Saqlain Shah Bukhari, Mian Tariq Mehmood, Rana Muhammad Ishaq Khan, Nawab Ali Wassan, Shehryar Afridi, Imran Khattak, Abdul Waseem, Sajid Ahmed, Pir Bux Junejo, Ms. Shahjehan Muneer Mangrio, Secretaries, Petroleum and Power Divisions and Senior Officers of the concerned departments.
