KARACHI: The Sindh government on Friday told the federal government that it was ready to take control of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) immediately as the company had failed to manage gas distribution in the country.

Provincial Energy Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Shaikh wrote a letter to the federal energy minister expressing his deep concern over the plight of domestic, industrial, commercial and transport gas consumers in the province, especially Karachi, due to severe gas shortage.

He demanded that the federal government should direct the SSGC to ensure, as aconstitutional right, the provision of gas to the consumers of Sindh as per their requirement. `And if the company is not capable to fulfil its duty, then the Sindh government is ready to run the affairs of SSGC immediately,` he said.

Mr Shaikh in his letter stated that despite the two-thirds share in countrywide gas production, Sindh was being deprived of its own gas. `CNG sector in Sindh is completely closed due to severe gas shortage, industries and businesses are also facing severe gas shortages and stoves of domestic consumers extinguished cold.

He said that people in cities like Karachi were forced to burn LPG gas cylinders, stoves, and firewood, coal and dung cakes.

He said that the SSGC had reduced the gas supplied to a major economic hub like Karachi f rom 560 mmcf d gas to 440 mmcf d.

`As a result of this unfair reduction of gas, the domestic consumers of Karachi are also facing severe hardships of gas cut-off, helamented.

The energy minister informed the federalgovernment that the gas being produced by the wells in Khairpur, Ghotki, Kandhkot and Dadu was being supplied to Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) continuously, and the SSGC had reduced the amount of gas being supplied to entire Sindh to only 760 mmcf d.

He states Article 158 of the Constitution clearly stated that the first right belongs to the province where the gas comes out, but the federal government is distributing the Sindh`s gas to SNGPL instead of giving it to the consumers of the province.

`Therefore, we demand that the gas supply to SNGPL from Sindh gas wells be stopped immediately and this gas be given to the consumers of Sindh first in accordance with the Constitution as it is their constitutional and legal right to use their gas during these days of severe shortage,` he said.

The energy minister said that the federal government should direct SSGC to ensure the supply and delivery of gas as per the requirement of its customers. `If the SSGCf ails to fulfil its duty, then the Sindh government offers to take over the charge to run the affairs of the SSGC immediately in the wider interest of the people according to the law in the light of the Constitution. The Sindh government has the better capacity to run SSGC,` he claimed.

In his letter, Mr Shaikh also invited the federal energy minister to visit Karachi, requesting him to see public representatives, representatives of industries and CNG sector to listen to their grievances and to resolve their issues through consultation.

He suggested that the provincial government was also ready to arrange a dialogue with the all concerned stakeholders on energy security to enable the acquisition of cheap energy sources as per the capacity of the consumers.

He also suggested the federal government to utilise the Thar coal reserves to alleviate gas shortages and avoid expensive foreign gas purchases, and to work on viable power, gas and fertilizer projects from coal.