Peshawar residents face gas outage even in Ramazan

PESHAWAR: The people in various parts of the provincial capital complained about the gas loadshedding, saying the relevant officials could not ensure supply of gas even in Ramazan.

“The unavailability of gas particularly at iftar and sehri has created problems but the authorities seem least bothered to resolve the problem,” said Rizwan Ali, 35, who had come to fill a gas cylinder.

Complaining about the increasing prices of gas, he said the consumers had to pay the monthly gas bills as well as for filling the gas cylinder.

He recalled that the relevant officials and district administration had assured the protesting people from Nauthia and Gulberg localities that they would not face gas loadshedding in Ramazan.

“Though we are not living in Nauthia but locality is adjacent to it,” he said, adding the authorities had compelled the consumers to take to the streets. We will register protest if the loadshedding continued,” he added.

“We have been requesting the government to solve our problems but the officials are reluctant to attend our phone calls,” the disappointed man said.

The gas consumers in Ghiasabad, People’s Colony, Bhanamari and the areas adjacent to Nauthia said that the government made their lives miserable instead of providing relief to them in Ramazan.

“We, the daily wagers, are worried about two times meal but still we pay regular monthly gas bills. It is deplorable and an extra burden on the poor to arrange for gas cylinders in the existing price hike,” said Rahim Shah, a daily wager. He said though the rulers always made tall claims, they could not honour the pledges.

An infuriated elder, Hazrat Omar Kaka, observed that the rulers were interested in their own problems and had no time for the poor.

The major political parties and the national and provincial leaders, he said, were fighting against each other. He said the time had come for the poor to forge unity among their rank and jointly work for the solution of their problems.