Gas shortage hits Pindiites hard as winter sets in

Rawalpindi:Over 80 per cent of families of Rawalpindi city and cantonment board areas were buying breakfast, lunch, and dinner from hotels but big bosses only seeing the whole drama with closed eyes rather than providing full pressure gas for domestic use as the first rain on Thursday turned the weather chilly. The locals were wandering here and there in search of fire sources and buying expensive LPG, coal, dry woods, kerosene oil, and a new invention ‘Mobil Oil Stoves’ from markets.

In the absence of natural gas, the locals were playing with their lives in search of fire and investing in different kinds of sources of fire to prepare three-time meals. They have invented the ‘Mobil Oil Stove’ which will give fire through disposed oil from motorcycle or car engines. But, it was very dangerous for human beings because it could burst anytime.

The federal government has warned SNGPL to follow the schedule strictly to provide gas for domestic users but in vain because the ‘corrupt mafia’ was very active and providing gas only to those who allegedly gave them ‘bribes’.

The poor public was buying expensive Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in ‘black’ at Rs300 per kilogram to prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner, thanks to the caretaker cabinet and corrupt mafia of SNGPL.

Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) Executive Engineer (Gas Pressure) Rawalpindi Region Muhammad Kawish told ‘The News’ that we are trying to provide the public full full-pressure gas in the winter season. In his policy statement, he said that our teams were visiting all around in Rawalpindi Region to resolve pressure issues. He also said that we are observing schedule timing to provide full-pressure gas strictly.

The tall claims by the concerned authorities for improvement in gas supply have dashed to the ground as there is absolutely no respite for the public from low to zero gas pressure. ‘The News’ interviewed different people from Rawalpindi and Islamabad they strongly protested against SNGPL because they were only providing natural gas to posh areas.

Muhammad Aslam, a consumer of Adiala Road said that they were paying huge bills without natural gas. “People were passing through a difficult time where there was no government writ anywhere,” he said.