Law ministry yet to verify Ogra's ‘LPG Industry Amendment Bill'
ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Law and Justice has yet to vet the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority's (Ogra's) LPG Industry Amendment Bill which has been laid there for the last two years.
The Oil and Gas Regulator proposed up to 14 years' imprisonment with Rs 15 million fine for those involved in substandard LPG cylinders manufacturing and browser blast.
The LPG Distributors Association of Pakistan in a letter sent to prime minister has said that there is no proper legal framework to ensure safety in the LPG industry.
In the letter, the LPG Association expressed concern over the continued delay in the Ogra amendment bill by Law Ministry and demanded that the Minister for Law and Justice, Azam Nazeer Tarar, should take prompt action on the matter.
Incidents are occurring frequently due to the mixing of CO2 gas in LPG, and those involved in this hazardous malpractice are being let off without punishment.
The association has urged the Ministry of Law and Justice to present the proposed amendments to the bill in Parliament, noting that strict penalties have been recommended in the bill for those responsible. If the bill is not tabled soon, the association warned it would be compelled to protest.
Association Chairman Irfan Khokhar said that two explosions and four fatalities occur every day due to this issue.
He cited incidents such as the tragic bowser explosion in DG Khan and the severe casualties from bowser blasts in Hyderabad last year.
Khokhar stated that, in recent days, five people lost their lives in an LPG explosion in Lahore.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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