Low to zero gas pressure hits Pindiites hard

Rawalpindi :In absence of natural gas, residents of the city are forced to switch to alternative sources of fire like dry wood, coal, kerosene oil and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for cooking food and heating their homes. The LPG sellers are selling gas at Rs150 per kilogram while woodcutters selling 40-kilogram dry wood at Rs700 against Rs600 and 1-kilogram coal selling at Rs80 against Rs70.

Domestic stoves run out of gas while all tandoors are using LPG to run their business. Housewives are facing worst situation due to absence of natural gas.

The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) without any schedule and intimation has stopped natural gas in several city and cantonment board areas. The residents of affected localities are facing zero to low gas pressure for over a week.

In the month of October, only tail end areas faced low to zero gas pressure but in the month of November several city and cantonment board localities including Chah Sultan, Glass Factory, Pirwdahi, Jhanda Chichi, Qasim Market, Tehmasabad, Dhok Ratta, Dhok Hassu, Tipu Road, Committee Chowk, Arya Mohallah, Sadiqabad, Muslim Town, Al-Mumtaz Colony, Adiala Road, Tali Moori, Dehri Hassanabad, Gorakhpur, Gulistan Colony, Chaklala Scheme-III, Jan Colony, Adra, Dhamial, Bakramandi, Chakri, Defense Road, Gulshanabad and several other areas are facing low to zero gas pressure.

All Pakistan Naanbais Welfare Association (APNWA) President Muhammad Shafiq Qureshi told ‘The News’ that they were using LPG for over two weeks due to absence of natural gas.

On the other hand, the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) officials are visiting different localities to monitor gas pressure in homes, but not resolving the issue.

The SNGPL Executive Engineer Muhammad Asim said that they were trying to provide maximum gas pressure to all consumers in all areas. “We face problems in peak winter, he said adding maximum consumers use ‘gas sucking compressors’, therefore several consumers face low to zero gas pressure. “We are taking action in this regard,” he warned.