Day: January 7, 2021

KARACHI:As many as 50 more patients died of coronavirus in Pakistan during the last 24 hours while 2,482 new virus cases emerged. The country-wide death toll from the virus has surged to 10,511 so far since the outbreak of the disease in February.

According to a Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation, and Coordination report issued on Thursday a total of 495,075 people have been tested positive for the coronavirus disease in the country since its outbreak in February 2020, out of which 221,734 cases were in Sindh, 142,835 in Punjab, 18,300 in Balochistan, 60,229 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 38,687 in Islamabad, 4,874 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 8,416 in Azad Kashmir.

However, 450,515 patients have recovered from the disease so far. There is continuous decline in the coronavirus cases and deaths across the country.

KARACHI:Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the civil society organizations on Thursday staged a protest demonstration outside Karachi Press Club against killing of 11 Hazara mine workers in Machh, Balochistan.

Carrying placards with slogans of protecting lives of Hazaras, the participants demanded arrest of the terrorists and provide more than Rs 1.5 million compensation for each killed worker.

Speaking on the occasion, JAC leaders Karamat Ali, Anis Haroon, Qazi Khizar and Saeed Baloch condemned the killings of Shia Hazara workers in Balochistan. They also condemned the stubborn attitude of the Prime Minister for not visiting to the bereaved family, who have staged a sit-in in Quetta and demanding the Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit them.

They condemned both the federal and Balochistan provincial governments for their failure to protect human lives in the province. They said the FC has a number of checkups at nook and corner, but despite that terrorists killed the workers and fled away easily.

So far the law enforcement agencies have not arrest the terrorists, they said adding that it is utter failure of the security agencies and provincial government. The speakers expressed solidarity with the families of the victims and some JAC leaders later visited the main protest sit-in at Numaish Chowrangi in Karachi.

KARACHI:In welcome news for the citizens of Karachi, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has approved K-Electric’s application for a license to construct and operate a gas pipeline that will supply Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) for the upcoming RLNG-based 900 MW BQPS-III power plant and supplementing fuel requirement of the power plants located at its Bin Qasim Power Complex.

According to a KE statement on Thursday, this is a very positive development for KE as the grant of the license by OGRA is a first ever license obtained by KE in the oil and gas sector and is a key step in ensuring that the upcoming BQPS III power plant receives the right amount of gas, at the right pressure. This milestone will go a long way in helping bridge the supply-demand gap in Karachi in the years to come.

In the notification issued on January 6, 2021, OGRA grants a License to K-Electric Limited to undertake regulated activity related to construction and operation of 14 inch diameter x 2.4 kilometer Natural Gas Pipeline along with ancillary/connected facilities for purpose of transmission of Natural Gas/RLNG from Tie-in Point, SSGC Custody Transfer Station located at Bin Qasim to KE Bin Qasim Power Complex”

K-Electric had submitted an application for the same on 18 May 2020, so as to ensure the pipeline would be built in time for the commissioning of the first unit of BQPS-III. It is pertinent to note that in the interest of expediting the process, the power utility has agreed to undertake the construction of the pipeline from the nearest SSGC Custody Transfer Station, on a self-finance basis. The EPC contractor and the Owner Engineer for this pipeline project are already on-board, the detail design of is already completed and the pipeline material has already been procured. Now, with the issuance of License by OGRA, K-Electric has immediately started construction of pipeline for its timely availability for commissioning of 900 MW power plant.

The addition of the 900 MW RLNG Power Plant along with proposed decommissioning of older and less efficient units will ultimately increase the power utility’s generation capacity and lead to improved service delivery. In the interest of the citizens of Karachi, and ensuring that they face minimal difficulties in the upcoming summer season, work on the BQPS-III power plant is proceeding on a fast-track basis. Gas turbines and steam generators have arrived and are waiting to be installed so that the first unit of 450 MW can be brought online by summer of 2021, and the second unit by end of 2021.

While the approval of the 900 MW plant is a vital element towards meeting Karachi’s growing power demands, other commitments also need to be fulfilled in a timely manner for this reality to be realized. Heads of Agreement with Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) for supply of 150mmcfd of gas for BQPS-III has already been signed, subsequent to which negotiations on the Gas Sale Agreement (GSA) have reached to the advance stage and any potential hurdles need to be resolved as per past commitments by the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE).

The 900 MW RLNG based plant and its timely completion is just one step towards keeping Karachi energized. Even with the commissioning of this plant, NTDC needs to expedite work on the upgrade of the interconnection facilities at the KDA Grid so that the power utility can evacuate the promised additional 450 MW from the National Grid before summer 2021. K-Electric is confident that all concerned stakeholders will continue to lend support in these so that KE achieves its vision of bringing Karachi to a power surplus situation by the year 2022.

KARACHI:The supply of oxygen to public and private sector hospitals of Karachi has been resumed following Sindh health department intervention.

In this connection, Sindh Health Department has also constituted a three-member committee to ensure uninterrupted supply of oxygen to the hospitals during the protest or sit-in.

The committee members will ensure coordination among law enforcement agencies, hospital administration and oxygen suppliers. The names of three-member committee are: Dr Dabeer Ahmed Khan, Dr Sikander Ali Memon and Dr Syed Ashiq Hussain Shah.

Earlier, oxygen supply and distribution company temporarily suspended the supply of oxygen to Karachi hospitals, including Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), due to the ongoing protests and sit-ins at different places in Karachi city. The delivery vehicles are unable to reach for the supplies.

An administrative official at CHK while talking to PPI, said oxygen supply had been restored to the hospital following Sindh health department’s intervention and formation of committee in this regard.