National ( The cow news digital )
KARACHI: Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik has directed Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) to initiate comprehensive structural reforms, revise the current gas subsidy mechanism, and restructure existing tariff slabs to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the utility sector.
Chairing a high-level performance review meeting of the SSGC Board of Directors, the minister emphasized the necessity of transitioning toward a fair and uniform gas pricing framework for all consumer categories. He stressed that vulnerable socio-economic segments should be insulated through targeted social safety programs rather than blanket subsidies. Highlighting regional distribution challenges, Malik instructed SSGC management to resolve gas supply issues in Balochistan on a priority basis by aggressively tackling gas theft, infrastructure bottlenecks, and technical losses.
During the briefing, the Managing Director of SSGC informed the minister that operational enhancements within the distribution network have yielded a 57 percent reduction in Unaccounted-for Gas (UFG) losses. The management confirmed that gas supplies remain uninterrupted for industrial units, fertilizer plants, and K-Electric, while domestic consumers are receiving scheduled gas supply three times daily.
The Petroleum Minister stated that gas tariffs have remained stable over the past year, successfully halting the escalation of gas circular debt. He added that the federal government is collaborating with the World Bank to execute sweeping energy sector reforms aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, improving revenue collection, and securing sustainable energy distribution nationwide.
