SNGPL fails to provide gas even at scheduled time

Rawalpindi:The residents of posh areas, hotel and restaurant chains were enjoying full pressure gas but the locals of poor localities as per routine facing low to zero gas pressure round the clock here at city and cantonment board areas, thanks to corrupt mafia of Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) for their involvement in doing an ‘underhand dealing’ with rich people to provide this facility in winter season. Majority of areas were facing absence of natural gas round the clock but concerned authorities and caretaker cabinet seeing the whole drama with blind eyes.

It seems that we are living in stone-age where people were using different ways to get their kitchen running. The corrupt officers of SNGPL (Rawalpindi Region) have flopped to provide natural gas event at ‘schedule times’. Majority of families have purchased dangerous ‘Gas Sucking Compressors’, mobil oil stoves, electricity stoves, LPG cylinders, etc. which were very dangerous for human life.

The business mafia was taking full advantage of this situation and introducing newer and newer stoves in market and looting innocent people with both hands. With low to zero gas pressure, the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) dealers are openly looting the public with both hands and selling 1-kilogram commodity at Rs310 to Rs330.

The LPG dealers are not only misusing this situation but creating an artificial shortage to earn more profit. The supply of natural gas has vanished from over 80 per cent of areas of the city and cantonment board in winter but nobody was taking this issue seriously.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) Executive Engineer (Pressure) Muhammad Kawish said that we are providing full pressure gas in schedule timing but majority of consumers were suing ‘Gas Sucking Compressors’ therefore several consumers have been deprived of gas. “We have started crackdown against compressors to provide natural gas to all consumers, he warned.

The most affected areas of the gas crisis is Adiala Road, Jhanda Chichi, Gulistan Colony, Morgah, Defense Road, Munawar Colony, Dhoke Juma, New Lalazar, Dhoke Mangtal, Adra, Bakra Mandi, Dhoke Syedan, Girja, Misriyal, Chah Sultan, Jamia Masjid Road, Lalkurti, Tench Bhatta, Jan Colony, Shah Khalid, Shah Faisal, Arya Mohallah, Chamanzaar, Nadeem Colony Sadiqabad, Muslim Town, Dhoke Paracha and several other areas where stoves have run out of gas completely.

The residents of affected localities are buying three times meals at skyrocketing rates from hotels while others are wandering here and there in search of fire sources like dry wood, kerosene oil, coal, and expensive LPG.

Muthidda Naanbhais Welfare Association (MNWA) President Shafiq Qureshi told ‘The News’ that they were using expensive LPG cylinders due to absence of natural gas. “We will sell a ‘Roti’ at Rs25 and a ‘Naan’ at Rs30 because we are using expensive LPG,” he claimed.

Talking to ‘The News’, people belonging to different walks of life said that SNGPL was telling lies as per routine. The consumers were wandering here and there in search of fire sources but SNGPL is seeing the whole drama with closed eyes rather to resolve the issue, people said.

Shabana Irshad, a housewife has rejected the SNGPL claim of providing gas. "We are using LPG or firewood for over a month," she said. She said that the government was doing nothing in the country, about how they could provide gas in this situation.

Muhammad Subhan from Jhanda Chichi, said that they were paying bills without gas. "I and my wife get up early in the morning to prepare breakfast for our school-going children but there is no gas. We are getting gas neither in the morning nor at night,” he said.