ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi has issued a directive to the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) to rectify the gas bill of a consumer and extend an apology. The consumer had been incorrectly billed for two solar geysers instead of one at his residence.
According to a press release from the President Secretariat Press Wing on Saturday, the contractor provided false information by stating the installation of two geysers on the forms. The contractor also manipulated the verification process by submitting his own contact number and subsequently absconded after committing fraud, leaving behind the submitted documents at the SNGPL office.
“It is disgraceful that the management is turning a blind eye to corruption within SNGPL and causing distress to members of the public. Instead of investigating the contractor, SNGPL is exacerbating the situation by burdening the public due to its incompetence and collusion, as it defends its illegal actions. An inquiry must be conducted, and those involved must be held accountable for their actions,” ordered the President, rejecting a representation filed by SNGPL against a decision made by the Wafaqi Mohtasib.
According to the details, Tahir Hussain, the complainant, lodged a complaint with the Wafaqi Mohtasib, stating that an SNGPL official installed one solar geyser in his house and assured him that the payment for the geyser would be claimed in installments through the bills.
However, SNGPL issued a bill to him for two solar geysers instead. When he visited the SNGPL office, he was informed that, based on the documents, two geysers were installed at his residence.
The SNGPL’s Supervisor informed him that the contractor named Shafqat, who had installed the geyser, had absconded after committing fraud.
Upon contacting the police, he was informed that it was an internal matter concerning Sui Gas staff and the contractor, and they declined to intervene.
Feeling aggrieved, he approached the Mohtasib, who directed SNGPL to take corrective measures to rectify the maladministration and adjust the bill amount in accordance with the prescribed procedure. The President rejected the representation and supported the Mohtasib’s observation that the contractor could not have committed fraud without the collaboration of Sui Gas staff. If such a case had occurred, SNGPL would have taken action against the contractor, which was not the situation.
The President noted that SNGPL’s representative defended the illegal action without delving into the specifics of the case, which was the company’s primary responsibility.
Furthermore, he observed that SNGPL failed to adhere to its own procedures and arbitrarily billed the complainant in violation of the law and the prescribed OGRA rules.