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Thursday March 28, 2024

SNGPL fails to address public grievances on time

GM claims officials concerned of respective sections follow procedure and rules while dealing with issues in order to address public grievances

By our correspondents
July 28, 2015
Islamabad
The attitude of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) officials has become a headache for consumers.
According to consumers, the SNGPL officials do not pay heed to their problems related to bill correction, replacement of defective or sticky meters and complaints regarding gas leakage in different residential areas.
They alleged that the high-ups, in order to avoid consumers, mark all complaints to their subordinates who adopt a callous and stubborn attitude and instead of mitigating the grievances make lame excuses.
According to them, consumers are forced to visit the SNGPL office several times, however, their complaints remain unresolved.
They also claimed that the SNGPL general manager hardly meets any consumer to listen to their complaints and if he by chance meets anyone never issues orders to his subordinates to solve public problems.
When approached, SNGPL General Manager Mohammad Zahoor did not agree to the allegations levelled by the complainants. He said that he meets the consumers coming with complaints and other grievances and issues directives to the concerned official for rectifying their problems. Similarly, the concerned officials of respective sections have to follow the procedure and rules while dealing with any issue in order to solve the problems. But the consumers do not realise the overall situation, he said.
Regarding the gas leakage complaints, the general manager assured of looking into the matter to solve them.
When contacted, SNGPL General Manager Mohammad Zahoor did not agree with the allegations levelled by complainants. He said that he meets consumers coming with complaints and other grievances and issues directives to the concerned official for rectifying their problems. Similarly, the concerned officials of respective sections have to follow the procedure and rules while dealing with any issue in order to solve public problems. But consumers do not realise the overall situation, he said.
Regarding gas leakage complaints, the general manager said that he would look into the matter to solve them.
A consumer, Mohammad Raziq, a resident of Sher Zaman Colony, alleged that in the month of February this year, the SNGPL had not supplied gas to its consumers and people used wood to cook food and meet other family needs. Due to scarcity of gas, he said, consumers did not even use geysers and heaters in the winter season. However, the SNGPL issued highly inflated bill of around Rs10,000 to him in March while making provisional reading as the meter was defective or sticky.
Since March, Raziq said, he is visiting the SNGPL office for correction of his bill. Instead of correcting, Chief Engineer Reehan Hashmi asked him to pay the bill in two installments as the bill once issued could not be corrected, he said. He said that he was asked to pay his bill otherwise gas supply would be disconnected.
Another consumer, Abdul Qayum, complained that on July 14, he had asked the SNGPL authorities to rectify the problem of leakage of gas in his house, however, despite daily assurances his problem still remains unresolved.
When Engineer Reehan Hashmi was contacted by ‘The News’ over the gas leakage complaints, he agreed, saying that the staff visited the site to ascertain the problem. The report has been forwarded to the Operation Section which has to carry out the remaining process. “I would talk to the incharge of the Operation Section to get the matter resolved at the earliest,” Reehan assured. To a question, he agreed that the problems of consumers who come with complaints are not being resolved and there is need to reform the operational system in the department.
Over inflated bill issue, he agreed that it is issued through provisional reading. However, according to the policy, consumers have to clear the bill otherwise their connection could be disconnected. However, the bill is corrected and revised after the defective meter is sent to the laboratory for testing. If the reading is found correct then the paid amount is not refunded. Otherwise, the amount is adjusted in next bills.
Meanwhile, consumers, who visit the Customer Service Centre set up at the SNGPL office, have to face numerous problems because of lack of facilities. For instance, the main hall of the service centre is huge and sizeable number of staffers sit there to attend consumers. However, the hall lacks the facility of ceiling or pedestal fans. In the large hall, there is not even a single fan and consumers were seen perspiring and suffocating in the heat of summer.
The consumers, while expressing grave concern on the overall situation in this department, called upon the concerned minister to take notice for adopting effective and practical measures for reforming the system of SNGPL. They also demanded the minister for taking notice and getting resolved complaints of the billing, faulty meters and new gas connections.