Gas shortage deepens in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: The dwellers of the provincial capital are facing numerous problems due to Sui gas shortage but the authorities concerned are least bothered to mitigate their sufferings.

The residents of Peshawar Cantonment complained they had been facing natural gas suspension for the last four days.

The residents of Mall Road, Rafiqi Lane, Super Market and Askari-II on Bara Road complained that gas was not being supplied through the main pipeline due to reasons best known to the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL).

“We have been facing low gas pressure issue every year in winter and use LPG cylinders to prepare food. However, this year the situation exacerbated as gas supply was completely stopped to all the residents of Askar-II Colony on Bara Road,” Amin Khan, a resident of the colony, complained.

He said the residents of Askari-II and its adjoining areas were now using LPG cylinders.

They said they approached the local SNGPL authorities and informed them about their problems, but to no avail.

Irshad Khan, another resident of Askari-II, said they had been living in the colony for the past 20 years but they never faced such a bad situation.

“I don’t understand what has happened to the gas as we have not used the natural gas to cook the food in this winter. We are using electric geysers as gas is not possible even for cooking purposes,” he said.

He said hundreds of apartments were built in Peshawar city in recent years and there were reports that gas was provided to them.

“It is alleged that the owners of these apartments have bribed officials to secure gas supply. The prices of the apartments with gas facilities go up,” he said.

Though the SNGPL in Peshawar sent teams to the affected areas and assured the residents of restoring the gas supply, no improvement was experienced. They couldn’t resume gas supply to the majority of the areas in Peshawar Cantt in four days.

Some SNGPL officials told the residents that gas supply from the main supply line in Punjab to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been reduced.