The residents of Karachi are facing intermittent gas outages and low gas pressure for a week.
The areas facing gas outages include Lyari, Lines Area, Malir, Surjani Town, Korangi and New Karachi. Similarly, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Golimar, Defence View’s Phase 1, the DHA, Clifton, PECHS, Saadi Town, Gulshan-e-Maymar, New Karachi, Quaidabad, North Karachi, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Gulberg, Gulshan-e-Hadeed, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Malir Jaffar Tayar, Saudabad, Khokrapar, Kharadar and Martin Quarters are intermittently facing low gas pressures.
Speaking on the crisis, Sindh’s energy minister Imtiaz Sheikh said it was the third winter in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s government in which people were facing a gas crisis. “Despite having advisers in the federal ministry of energy, the federal government has again failed to provide gas during the winter because all are just busy in giving political statements.”
He said all promises made by the federal minister energy had turned out to be fake this year. “Due to the shortage of gas, residential and commercial users are facing immense trouble,” he said alleging that the gas crisis was due to the PTI-led federal government’s wrong policies.
“When there’ need of Liquefied Natural Gas, the government purchase expensive furnace oil and when there’s need for furnace oil, they purchase expensive LNG. The government has no policy, neither any plan of action,” he said.
The federal government, he added, was not implementing Article 158 due to which Sindh was facing a gas shortage. “Sindh is the highest producer of gas,” he said and added that the federal government was not providing Sindh gas according to its needs.
“The provincial government has already provided land for Right of Way,” he said. “Whereas, the attention of the federal government is on issuing political statements – and nothing else.”
SSGC statement
On the other hand, the Sui Southern Gas Company in a statement claimed there was no load shedding anywhere in the province.
“If there’s any load pressure, the consumers can lodge a complaint at their complaint numbers,” the company said.
Meanwhile, residents of North Karachi, New Karachi, Nazimabad, Sultanabad and Liaquatabad complained of having very low to no pressure of the gas at all.
A resident of North Karachi, Fawad Aslam shared with The News how they didn’t have had any gas on Sunday and thus couldn’t even cook.
“From roti to food, we have had to bring everything from outside today,” Aslam said adding that they feared if gas outages continued, they would have to buy an electric stove.
Another resident of Nazimabad, Salman complained that they faced gas outage every night after 8pm for at least two hours. “This is the time when generally dinner is cooked,” he said adding that if the problem continued during the winter, they would have to look for alternative resources.