ISLAMABAD: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited Company (SNGPLC) has served additional bills ranging between Rs 300000 to 1500000 for the period from December 2017 to March 2018 to commercial and industrial consumers of local gas by imposing RLNG rate in sheer defiance of OGRA laws.
As per media reports the additional bills have been sent by SNGPLC to consumers under the directives of Prime Minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to avoid bankruptcy due to the fact that the company has failed to collect Rs 22 billion after selling LNG. The additional bills were aimed at grabbing Rs 5 billion from consumers immediately.
According to reports, SNGPLC again issued the bills of million of rupees to the consumers against the gas consumed by them during the period from December 2017 to March 2018 taking the plea that the consumers have consumed excess gas during this period, therefore, RLNG rate has been levied to them.
According to OGRA ordinance and notification the local gas tariff in respect of commercial and industrial consumers is Rs 700 while imported gas tariff has surpassed Rs 1300 per MMBTU.
The Petroleum Division Authorities said that SNGPLC is authorized to charge RLNG rate to such commercial and industrial consumers who have executed an agreement with SNGPLC to purchase RLNG.
SNGPLC has violated OGRA ordinance and December 2016 ordinance. Due to persistent hike in the prices of RLNG, the industries which had entered into agreement with SNGPLC to purchase RLNG had refused to purchase.
Industries from Punjab had made arrangement to purchase electricity uninterrupted from WAPDA.
Sources said the closure of state run 3000 megawatt power plants in Punjab has placed the SNGPL C on the brink of bankruptcy.
SNGPLC has to pay outstanding dues amounting to Rs 22 billion and Rs 2 billion on account of late payment surcharge to PSO.