Project worth Rs350m planned to improve gas supply: official

PESHAWAR: The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has planned a project worth Rs350 million to replace the old pipeline along University Road in Peshawar and has also outlined other major plans to address the low gas pressure issues in the provincial capital.

The old pipeline along University Road suffered damage at several points during the construction of a drain along the same road.“It became a serious issue, and we planned to replace the old gas pipe on University Road, for which the SNGPL has allocated Rs350 million. Construction on the new line has commenced from Gora Qabristan end, and it will terminate near Karkhano Market,” said Waqas Shinwari, the newly appointed general manager of SNGPL in Peshawar region.

In the meantime, he said, they had received complaints about gas fires along University Road.“We took a shutdown of the old line and isolated the portion where blasts were occurring,” he explained.

A section of the press reported a narrative suggesting that the blasts were happening due to the remaining works of the BRT project. The Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) claimed that they had paid SNGPL to replace the lines during the BRT project.

However, according to SNGPL, the PDA had paid the gas company to lay a parallel line along their existing line. This was intended to provide an alternative when relocating the old line became necessary, ensuring that customers did not face problems. But it was stopped during the BRT construction phase.

“Work on BRT construction was not stopped because of our lines for a single day; as we went as planned. But after the BRT corridor completion, a drain was constructed along the BRT route and it damaged our pipelines which speeded the corrosion and we are facing leakages along University Road, especially between Abdara Road and Tambowano Morr,” Waqas Shinwari explained.

He said that when they received reports of gas blasts, they isolated the exact portion where blasts were being reported and shifted the gas connections to the new parallel line laid along University Road within a short period of 30 hours.

General Manager Waqas Shinwari stated that they were facing several issues and pledged to resolve all these problems on a priority basis.“We will utilise all our available resources to resolve issues that our customers have been facing. Our doors will remain open round the clock to facilitate our customers,” said the SNGPL general manager.