ISLAMABAD: Federal Ombudsman Syed Tahir Shahbaz directed Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Pipelines (SSGPL), to implement all decisions passed by the ombudsman by Aug 20 and streamline their complaint management system.

He issued these directives while chairing a meeting with the heads of all three companies

He noted that during 2019 and the first six months of 2020, complaints against gas companies increased by 120pc. “Gas companies should appoint their focal persons and resolve public complaints on priority basis,” he said.

He directed Ogra to find out reasons for the increase in public complaints against gas companies and submit a report within two weeks. Mr Shahbaz first took notice of the poor response of gas companies towards public complaints, at the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat (WMS’s) regional offices in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur. He directed the managing directors of SSGPL and SNGPL to take strict remedial measures against such “attitudes and non compliance.”In the future, delay and non-compliance will not be accepted in such cases and a complete report of pending cases should be submitted, he added. The Ogra chairman said that timely compliance would be ensuredin the future.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2020