Pak's provinces reject monopoly to centralise transmission lines of gas companies

Islamabad [Pakistan], May 12 : Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh provinces have rejected monopoly to centralise transmission lines of gas companies in the country terming it as a violation of the 18th constitutional amendment and warned of approching the court against the Imran Khan government in this connection.
According to The News International, both the provinces have rejected the monopoly to centralize the transmission line of Sui Southern Gas Pipe Lines and Sui Northern Gas Pipe Lines by the federal government and termed it as a violation of the 18th constitutional amendment of Pakistan.
The 18th Amendment was passed during the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government in 2010. It gave powers to the provinces in key areas of public services, including health, women development, social welfare and local government. However, the Amendment empowered the provinces to a significant extent in financial and administrative terms, reported Dawn.
Sindh government has clearly rejected the idea and warned if the provincial government's concerns were overruled, they will approach the court in this connection.He revealed that KP's share of production of gas is much bigger than that of Punjab, The News International reported.
An official of the Oil and Gas Development Corporation told The News International that the idea floated by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) was rejected by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh.
Official revealed that earlier Pervez Khattak, the then chief minister of KP, had rejected the monopoly of transmission lines. The Sindh government, too, has rejected the proposal and termed it as a violation of the 18th amendment. However, he said OGRA has said that the four provinces will have their own managing directors with the authority over the production of gas but the main transmission lines would be in the control of the federal government.