Govt decides to conduct independent audit of gas billing

ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Committee on Energy has decided to conduct an independent audit of the gas bills for December last year through external auditors.

The meeting of the committee was held in Islamabad on Wednesday with Finance Minister Asad Umar in the chair.

An inquiry on excessive billing has already been conducted by the Petroleum Division, the meeting was told.

Addressing the meeting the finance minister said the government was highly sensitive to the problems being faced by the general public and any innovative solution to their problems would be implemented on priority basis.

The meeting was specially called on the instructions of the prime minister to look into the matter of inflated gas billings to the consumers.

Additional Secretary In-charge of Petroleum Division Mian Asad Hayaud Din briefed the committee on the recent billing exercise of the gas sector.

The meeting was told that following the complaints of a large number of consumers an inquiry has already been launched to look into the matter

The meeting also discussed the issue of gas theft, the action taken against illegal practices and the determination of the unaccounted for gas loss benchmark and issued direction to Ministry of Energy to address the issue.