Gas crisis worsens as mercury dips

KARACHI: Industries in Sindh have announced to protest from Monday against the prevalent gas crisis in the country.

Feeling the heat of the gas crisis, small industries in Sindh have announced to protest from Monday. Similarly, in Quetta and Peshawar, the gas crisis has made life difficult for people who are finding it hard to survive in the harsh cold without heaters.

Earlier during the day, Power Minister Omar Ayub alleged that the ongoing gas shortage in Sindh was due to the provincial government’s failure to provide a route for new gas pipelines in the province. He said that the provincial government "is oppressing the people of Sindh by not providing a right of way" to the federal government.

Ayub said the federal government will lay new pipelines if the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) is allowed to do so by local authorities. The minister also said that the provincial government had declined federal government’s offer to provide LNG under Article 158 of the Constitution.

Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani rejected Ayub’s allegation, saying that the gas pipelines mentioned by the power minister were not discussed. Ghani said the federal government’s incompetency has ruined people’s lives.

Besides the domestic consumers, the commercial and industrial users are also severely affected by the shortage. “We have started laying off daily wagers while regular employees have been served termination notices,” chief coordinator of Karachi Industrial Forum, Javed Bilwani said on Thursday. -