QUETTA, July 26: At least 100 villages in Balochistan will get gas facility during the current financial year at a cost of Rs994 million and a project for improving the pipeline system in Quetta will also be implemented.

Officials of the Sui Southern Gas Company on Wednesday briefed Balochistan Governor Owais Ahmad Ghani on the ongoing and proposed projects of the company in the province.

Mr Ghani asked them to expedite work on the projects so that the people of remote areas could get gas facility.

He said the centre would be approached for ensuring early provision of funds for completion of the gas supply projects. He said the government was making efforts to provide gas facility to maximum areas.

Quetta SSGC managing-director Mohammad Nawaz Shaikh said that at present, 27 cities and 272 villages in 12 districts of the province had gas facility.

He said that during the previous financial year, 113 villages had been provided gas facility at a cost of Rs810 million.

He said the SSGC was laying a 16-inch-diameter eight-kilometre pipeline in Quetta at a cost of Rs67.38 million to solve the low gas pressure problem.

He said another project would be launched to improve the gas pipeline system in Quetta, which would cost Rs1,940 million. The supply of liquid gas to Chaman and Zhob was also under consideration, he said.