ISLAMABAD: The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has yet to recover around Rs123.187 billion from industrial defaulters.
“As on August 2016, K-Electric, Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Pakistan Steel Mills, two independent power producers (IPPs), 11 captive power units, eight compressed natural gas (CNG) stations and three different industries owe Rs 123.187 billion on account of non-payment of gas utility bills,” they told APP.
Giving breakup, the sources said K-Electric had to pay Rs 64,099 million, WAPDA Rs 6,889 million, Pakistan Steel Rs 44,171 million, IPPs Rs 5,970 million, Captive Power units Rs 1,817 million, CNG stations Rs 219 million and three industries Rs 22 million.
They said some of the defaulters were in litigation with SNGPL and some were making payments in instalments. Meanwhile, official sources in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources told APP that the SNGPL and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) had detected around 133,106 gas theft cases in their respective operational areas during the last three years.
From July 2013 to August 2016, the SNGPL identified 130,516 theft cases, involving 18,031 mmcf gas and Rs 10,496 million in stolen money, they said. While, it identified gas theft of 22,819 mmcf by non-consumers and 34,154 mmcf in law and order affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The sources informed that the SSGCL had detected 1,265 theft cases, registered 118 FIRs (first information reports), charged 713 mmcf gas and recovered Rs 613 million from the industrial pilferers.
