LAHORE: The backlog of domestic gas connections continues to rise despite disposal of over 500,000 applications per annum in all regions of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL).

The main reason behind the [increasing] pendency of the applications in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa is the expansion of housing sector, as several private residential schemes were developed in mega cities, including Lahore, in recent years keeping in view the rise in population.

Officials say the backlog also includes many applications of those people who paid urgent fee of Rs25,000 [ for each connection]. Besides those seeking gas connections, the number of LPG users is also increasing fast.

“Though we have been giving connections to as many as 500,000 applicants for the last couple of years, we still have a backlog of around 2.4 million cases in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. And Lahore tops in receiving a large number of applications for domestic gas connection,” SNGPL’s Managing Director Amjad Latif told Dawn.

Last year, the federal government had directed the SNGPL to quickly dispose of the pending applications besides lifting a ban on provision of gas infrastructure in all private housing schemes. However, the company briefed the government that lifting ban on providing gas to the private housing schemes would increase the number of applications. And it would not be possible within the available system/indigenous gas resources.

“So it was decided about a year back that such schemes would be provided with Regasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) and not the system gas. Therefore, under this decision, we are providing RLNG to these schemes and the system gas is only being supplied to consumers living in residential areas developed already,” the MD said and claimed: “During the ongoing fiscal year, we will provide as many as 600,000 gas connections to applicants (both normal and urgent cases).”

The company said the tariff for domestic consumers being provided with RLNG in new housing schemes was higher than those being given system gas. He claimed that there was no gas shortfall in the system at present. However, complaints related to low pressure, especially the areas receiving gas at the pipelines’ tail end, always emerge in winter.

“To reduce complaints, the company is working on various projects and campaigns such as replacement of old pipelines, maintenance of the existing infrastructure, eradication of compressors used by consumers to extract more gas in case of low pressure, illegal connections, gas theft, use of gas-run generators etc,” Mr Latif said.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2018