Oil industry has opposed the newly enforced deadlines from Ogra for nationwide digital monitoring of thousands of storage tanks and petrol pumps.
Industry groups said the aggressive timeline and an estimated Rs55–60 billion cost cannot be met without a workable recovery mechanism.
Both the Advisory Council and the Oil Marketing Association of the Oil Companies submitted complaints after Ogra ordered rapid ATG integration.
The directive requires full installation of Auto Tank Gauging systems within 12 to 20 months across depots, storage tanks and retail pumps.
Ogra directed companies to digitise 600 sites by January 2026 and complete remaining sites by January 2027 nationwide.
It also instructed firms to integrate sixteen thousand retail fuel pumps with the digital monitoring system by June 2026.
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Industry letters stated companies were not given opportunities to outline technical, financial and supply chain challenges linked to ATG deployment.
Officials quoted the Ogra chairman as saying the project represented the prime minister’s vision and required strict compliance with deadlines.
Executives questioned how companies could proceed without a cost recovery plan, warning the required expenditure risked pushing firms toward bankruptcy.
Industry representatives also criticised the existing Track and Trace mechanism, saying it offered no progress, timeline or meaningful operational outcome.
OCAC and OMAP later met Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, who advised Ogra to address concerns while continuing reform efforts.
Key issues raised included custom hardware requirements, extended implementation timelines and unchanged OMC margins limiting capacity to absorb significant new costs.
