Natural gas crisis worsens: Administration shuts CNG stations in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: The worsening natural gas crisis forced the district administration on Friday to shut down the CNG stations from January 5 till January 31 to ensure the utility supply to the domestic consumers.

A notification said that the decision had been taken after the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) requested the administration to close the CNG stations in the wake of “acute shortage in supply of natural gas due to huge gap between demand and supply.”

It said a shortage in natural gas supply to the general public, especially the domestic consumers in the peak winter season is causing disturbance and law and order issues.

It may be mentioned here that the city and its suburban areas have been facing an extreme gas shortage for quite some time. The gas supply used to be made available for limited time during the peak hours. But that facility, too, had been disrupted for the last three days and the consumers were turning to alternative sources of energy such as LPG and fuel woods to meet their needs.

While the domestic consumers are seen lining up at the shops selling LPG, the eateries and tandoors owners were using heavy LPG cylinders to keep their business going.

There are areas on the suburbs where the residents have been complaining of the absence of electricity supply as well along with gas supply in the chilly weather for the last several days.

Residents of several villages and suburban areas along the Ring Road, including Musazai, Hazarkhwani, Garhi Atta Muhammad, Garhi Qamar Din, Pishtakhara, Sarband and Sangu villages have asked the government to direct the officials of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company and Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited to at least provide gas and electricity for a couple of hours uninterrupted.

One Noor Muhammad told this scribe that with the increase in the intensity of temperature villagers in Sarband and Sangu have remained without electricity. “We have not been provided electricity for a continuous hour,” he said.

He said that people were forced to purchase fuel wood at high prices. A resident of Musazai, Muhammad Azeem, said that their village had been without gas supply for over a week. The resident said water had entered into the gas pipes in some localities which had caused suspension of the supply but nobody was visiting the area to fix the fault.

Another resident of the same village Tilawat Khan said that their village received electricity for an hour in 24 hours.Ahmedkhel and Bazidkhel villagers are also faced with the same problem after the drop in temperature.Muhammad Feeroz, a resident of Ahmedkhel, said these villages also receive electricity supply for an hour but the gas supply had been suspended for more than a month.

Muhammad Kamran, a college lecturer in Garhi Atta Muhammad, said that it had become a routine for him to leave for work without breakfast. He said that the families had adapted to the suspension of electricity in hot and cold weathers but gas the suspension have added to their miseries.

Adnan Khan, resident of Landi Arbab, said his locality was adjacent to Peshawar Cantonment but it was also facing power and gas suspension. Wajid Khan, a lawyer, said even the civilian areas of the Peshawar Cantonment were facing hours-long power and gas suspension.