KOHAT: The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited has worked out a plan to start execution of the Rs9 billion worth of gas supply projects identified by federal state minister Sheharyar Afridi to provide the facility to deprived areas and replace the narrow gauge lines, Dawn has learnt.

The projects were discussed between the state minister and SNGPL general manager Taj Ali, last month.

The people of the neglected areas had been criticising the federal government for depriving them of the gas facility since the natural source discovery in 2003.

Talking to mediapersons here the other day, minister Sheharyar Afridi said the Oil And Gas Regulatory Authority would be requested to extend the merit list for demand notices to June 2020 so that thousands of deprived people could get the facility. Earlier, the approval had been given to issue demand notices to the backlog of applicants who had applied by January 31, 2019.

Accompanied by SNGPL officials, Mr Afridi said to cope with the problem of low pressure a six-inch diameter gas line would be laid down in the city. Similarly, to address the low pressure issue in the areas on the Rawalpindi Road, a six-inch diameter line would be taken out from the main pipeline from Dhodha.

ARRESTED: The police have arrested the remaining two accused involved in the murder case of a Qatari police official.

DSP Haider Ali told a press conference the other day that Qatari police official, Fasial Haroon Qureshi, was murdered in Hayat Shaheed Colony on February 13, 2020. He was on leave.

Cases were registered against five accused in the Riaz Mohammad Shaheed police station.

He said three of the accused had already been arrested from Karachi, adding that Niaz Ali and Taj Malik were arrested during an intelligence-based operation on Monday.

ONLINE CASES: The Kohat University of Science and Technology Vice-Chancellor Dr Tasleem Hussain, in a statement, issued a mechanism of online classes during the Covid-19 lockdown, directing the

faculty members to start online lectures from Nov 26.

The online classes would be on the pattern of spring 2020 session, and all the 10 offices of the varsity, including Jand (Punjab), Karak, Bannu, Tank, Hangu, Thall, Parachinar, Mardan, Chakdara and Kohat, would be reactivated to facilitate the students to collect the approved recorded lectures.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2020