Consumers face gas shortage

Rawalpindi : Supply of natural gas to domestic consumers has vanished in many parts of the city and cantonment board areas, even before the start of winter. The consumers are buying expensive Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for domestic use.

The consumers of majority of localities had faced low to zero gas pressure even in summer also.

The areas of Adiala Road, Qasim Market, Misriyal, Chakra, Satellite Town, Jhanda, Mareer Hasan, Sher Zaman Colony, Munawwar Colony, Mubarak Lane, Dhoke Juma, New Lalazar, Tahli Mohri, Defence Road, Saleha Street, Dhok Kala Khan, Gulistan Colony, Naik Alam, Dhok Manga Khan, Kashmir Colony, Gulshanabad, Bakramandi, Dhamyal, Quaid-e-Azam Colony, Arya Mohalla, Tipu Road, Lal Kurti, Tench Bhatta, Jan Colony, Dhok Ratta, Dhok Munshi, Rehmatabad, Dhok Banaras, Sadiqabad, Muslim Town, Tipu Road, Raheemabad, Shah Khalid Colony, Shah Faisal Colony and several other localities are facing low to zero gas pressure.

The consumers of affected localities protested in front of Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) office on regular basis but in vain. The protesters raised slogans against SNGPL and demanded to provide full pressure gas.

SNGPL Senior General Manager (Rawalpindi Region) Mukhtar Shah told ‘The News’ that the numbers of consumers are increasing day-to-day. “We are trying to provide all consumers full gas pressure,” he said. He also said that majority of consumers are using gas sucking compressors therefore other consumers were deprived of gas.

Muthidda Naanbais Welfare Association (MNWA) President Muhammad Shafiq Qureshi said that government is increasing prices of domestic and commercial gas cylinders which were unaffordable for a common man to purchase it, he said. Over 30 per cent Naanbais have quit their business due to increasing in prices of flour, dry wood, LPG and absence of natural gas but our government is taking the issues non-seriously, he denounced.