ISLAMABAD: Shahid Rasheed Butt, the patron-in-chief of the Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders, has expressed deep concerns over the LNG policy. In an interview, he said that the LNG policy is creating hurdles for transport sector which must be taken seriously by the policymakers.
He further said that minor changes in the LNG policy could help country reduce energy shortage and save billions of dollars besides reducing pollution. Butt added that LNG introduce for transport sector to replace the costly petrol which can help country to save billions in terms of energy import bill. He said that the government should consider bringing sales tax on imported gas from 5 percent to zero to make it viable for the private sector.
Shahid Rasheed said that gas utilities are charging 11 percent losses while demanding to jack up losses to 16 percent which is illegal as Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has determined a loss of 10.63 percent. He asked the policymakers to pay more attention to LNG sector as there are no chances of notable prices hike in the next decade as world’s regasification capacity is set to get a boost of 75 percent in the next 5-7 years.
The country can save 30 percent in fuel import bill if LNG sector support by policymakers.
