DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Sept 9: Natural gas would be supplied to six southern districts of the NWFP at a cost of Rs1.85 billion, General Manager Sui Northern Gas Pipeline (SNGPL) Imdad Hussain told MMA leaders during a meeting here on Wednesday.

Maulana Attaur Rehman and Maulana Lutfur Rehman, brother of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, DCO Tank and ACO of Dera Ismail Khan attended the meeting. The SNGPL official said that gas would be provided to these districts from the Gurguri gas field, adding that an experimental 70-kilometre-long pipeline was being between Gurguri and Kohat.

He said that work on the 312-kilometre-long section supplying gas to other districts, including Dera Ismail Khan and Tank, would be initiated after finishing the pipeline to Kohat.

He said that the project would be completed within the next three years. He said that the project would benefit around 40,000 domestic, 350 commercial and 25 industrial units in Dera Ismail Khan. At least 7,000 domestic and 30 commercial consumers would be supplied gas in Tank district he added.