PTI govt sacks SNGPL chief over inflated gas bills.

ISLAMABAD -- The government has sacked managing director of the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Company Limited (SNGPL) for issuing inflated gas bills to over three million consumers during winters.

According to a notification, the SNGPL board on Wednesday decided to remove the incumbent MD Amir Tufail and gave the additional charge of the SNGPL managing director to Mahmood Ahmad Zia.

This is the second SNGPL managing director to be removed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government within a period of few months.

During winters, gas bills of the domestic consumers had increased abnormally which compelled the consumers to protest in front of several SNGPL offices. In the wake of the protests, the government had constituted a four-member committee to probe inflated gas bills issue.

Imran Khan-led govt to reimburse inflated gas bills amounting Rs2.5b

On February 27, Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered to return the excessive amount charged from gas consumers. Earlier this month, the Petroleum Division had also asked the SNGPL to refund the extra amount charged from gas consumers and to take action against all those who were involved in sending the inflated bills by applying fraudulent gas pressure factor.

Following the directives, the SNGPL board on Wednesday removed acting MD Amir Tufail from his post.

An official of the Petroleum Division said both the division and the SNGPL were equally responsible for the inflated gas bills but the Petroleum Division moved only against the SNGPL and was trying to save skin of its own officials involved in the revision of gas slabs.

The petroleum minister last week told a parliamentary committee that there were two reasons behind the inflated bills - introduction of new slabs and extra pressure factor.

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