PESHAWAR, April 13: About 30 per cent of commercial gas consumers in the province are involved in pilferage, causing loss to the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), according to sources.

There are around 4,500 commercial consumers, most of them being small hotels, tea houses, bakeries and tandoors.

The high pilferage rate was quoted by the SNGPL managing director during  a presentation before the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority here.

He stated that in Punjab the pilferage rate was high in the industrial sector, but in the NWFP, several commercial consumers were involved.

The SNGPL authorities, when contacted, claimed that the incidence of pilferage had been brought down considerably during the last year.

“About 87 per cent of commercial gas consumers in the NWFP were involved in pilferage a year ago,” an official said and added that “punitive measures were taken against those involved.”

The company, said the sources, launched a campaign to replace meters of  the commercial consumers and sent the old meters to the laboratory in Lahore for examination.

“Most of the meters were found tampered with and fine was imposed on those responsible,” said the sources.

The measures caused a sharp decline in the number of commercial consumers.

Several such consumers got their connections cut and begun using wood, causing pressure on the forests.

Sources said the SNGPL had constituted teams to conduct raids to check the meters of commercial consumers.