Gas disappears as chilly weather sets in

Rawalpindi : Natural gas has vanished from over 80 per cent of areas of the city and cantonment board for the last three days. The residents of affected localities are buying three times meals at skyrocketing rates from hotels while others wander here and there in search of fire sources like dry wood, kerosene oil, coal, and expensive Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) on Sunday.

On the other hand, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has claimed to settle down this issue till Monday (today) because the government has provided it extra gas quota.

For the last three days, the residents of a number of localities particularly Adiala Road, Gulistan Colony, Committee Chowk, Munawwar Colony, Defence Road, Dhoke Kalhoor, Mubarak Lane, Qasim Market, Chakra, Misriyal, Shakriyal, Koori, Soan, Gulzar-e-Quaid, Girja, Tench, Dhoke Mangtal, Dhok Syedan, Asghar Mall, Dhok Hassu, Dhok Ratta, Gharibabad, Scheme-III, Raheemabad, Nadeem Colony, Shah Faisal Colony, Tipu Road, Afshan Colony, Javed Colony, Dhoke Banaras, Ahmedabad, Bagh Sardaran, Pirwadhai, Bangash Colony and several other areas are facing zero gas pressure round-the-clock.

The Gas Sucking Compressors (GSC) have also become fruitless to suck the natural gas for two days. In fact, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has stopped supply in pipelines for two days.

SNGPL Senior General Manager (Rawalpindi Circle) Mukhtar Shah has admitted that people in the majority of areas have been facing gas crisis for three days. But, the issue would be settled on Monday (today), he claimed. He said that the government has provided them extra gas for the residents of Rawalpindi. It would take 24-hours to settle down the distribution of natural gas in all areas, he assured. He also said that cold weather is another problem that adds to the shortage of natural gas.

The areas of Satellite Town, Jhanda, Mareer Hasan, Sher Zaman Colony, Dhoke Juma, New Lalazar, Tahli Mohri, Saleha Street, Dhoke Kala Khan, Naik Alam, Dhoke Manga Khan, Kashmir Colony, Gulshanabad, Bakramandi, Dhamyal, Quaid-e-Azam Colony, Arya Mohallah, Lalkurti, Tench, Jan Colony, and several other localities are also facing zero gas pressure for two weeks.

Talking to ‘The News’, people belonging to different walks of life said that SNGPL was telling lies to settle the problem within a day.

Asma Saeed, a housewife, and resident of Adiala Road has rejected the SNGPL claim of providing gas. "We are using expensive LPG or firewood for over a month," she said. She said that the PTI government has destroyed and everything in the country, how they could provide gas in this situation.

Sadia Pervez, another housewife from Munawar Colony, said that they were paying bills without gas. "I wake up early in the morning to prepare breakfast for my family but there is no gas. We are getting gas neither in the morning nor at night," she said.