SSGC committed to 'counter gas theft control' plans.

Byline: KHALIL AHMED

Conversation with Syed Imran Ahmed - ADGM-Corporate Communications, SSGC

Profile:

Syed Imran Ahmed is ADGM at SSGC's Corporate Communication Department where he is also the section head of Advertising, Publications and Events. An MBA from IBA Karachi and Master in International Trade from Melbourne University, Mr. Ahmed is also the Visiting Faculty at the Institute of Business Management (IoBM). He regularly writes in the top publications on Energy and business-related topics. Mr. Ahmed is a content developer for a number of social media pages.

PAKISTAN and GULF ECONOMIST had an exclusive conversation with Syed Imran Ahmed. The excerpts of the conversation are as follows:

It is 7 am. While most people are getting ready to start their day, SSGC's Counter Gas Theft Control Operations team is already on the ground preparing for a raid on a facility involved in the theft of natural gas. Acting on a tip-off, the Operation Wing accompanied by SSGC Police reaches a locality on the outskirts of Karachi within no time. The miscreants known to have 'contacts' in high places have been stealing gas for a long time by puncturing the main supply line to run generators for supplying electricity to the neighbors. Expecting an aggressive reception, the team moves cautiously to conduct its operation. The miscreants, caught red-handed, raise a major hue and cry and threaten SSGC team with disastrous consequences. Nonetheless, the raiding party goes about its task of dismantling the illegal connection and lodging FIRs against the culprits so that they can be prosecuted as per law.

This operation is one of the many operations, SSGC's Counter Gas Theft Control team carries out on a regular basis to root out gas theft being committed across the Company's franchise areas of Sindh and Balochistan. Stealing natural gas is not only a crime, but it also puts innocent lives at risk since only a Company employee can operate a gas line and not an amateur user or a plumber.

One major reason to control theft is financial. According to industry sources, gas theft contributes 50% to Unaccounted-for-Gas (UFG) or line losses which means every percentage increase in UFG leads to the regulator (OGRA) slashing more than Rs. 1.5 billion from the Company's financial bottom line.

The menace

Gas thieves are a major source of nuisance for gas companies. There are a number of reasons for the rising incidence of gas theft in Sindh and Balochistan. Rapid urbanization...