Police fail to curb incidents of gas meters theft

Islamabad : The residents of Islamabad have complained against a sudden surge in the incidents of gas meters theft alleging that the activity was being carried out in connivance with the relevant department’s racketeers.

Gas meters of government officials’ houses have been stolen in residential areas of Islamabad.

A resident of sector G-6 whose meter was stolen said when his daughter woke up for preparing sehri, there was no gas in the stove.

He said our family thought it was load-shedding but they were astonished to know that their gas meter was stolen in the darkness of night.

He said they found that during the day that 4-5 more meters were also ripped-off from the locality and one of the journalists in his neighbourhood was also among the victims.

He also complained about the police’s sluggish attitude in tracing the culprits who only lodged reports instead of making efforts to expose those involved in this crime.

Another victim of the gas meter theft, who resides near Melody, said he was not the only victim but many people are deprived of their meters in a quick succession of time.

He said people are now installing steel cages around their meters to lock them to ensure their safety.

“Once a meter is stolen it is a herculean task to get a new one installed to restore the facility,” he remarked.

The victims said that they contacted the relevant office of SNGPL to inform them about the incident but of no use.

They said that a hefty fee is charged for the re-installation of the meter and the consumers have to face the entire financial burden in case of such loss.