Gas utility increases LPG imports to stabilise prices

KARACHI: Pakistani households have been left at the mercy of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) black marketers, who are demanding significantly higher prices in the range of Rs300-400 per kg from consumers, who need the fuel to run their kitchens. The consumers, especially in the hilly areas of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), are being forced to pay exorbitant prices, which are much higher than the retail price of Rs257 per kg fixed by the government. As black marketers continue to make a windfall, different stakeholders including local producers, importers, dealers and retailers blame each other for charging higher prices from end-consumers. SSGC LPG Limited (SLL), a wholly owned subsidiary of state-owned Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), announced on Thursday that it had increased the import of LPG to improve supplies and stabilise prices in the local markets.