With low to zero gas pressure, the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) dealers are openly looting the public with both hands and selling 1-kilogram commodity at Rs300. The LPG dealers are not only misusing this situation but creating an artificial shortage to earn more profit. The supply of natural gas has vanished from over 80 per cent of areas of the city and cantonment board for some days but the authorities concerned are seeing the whole drama with closed eyes.
The government has fixed LPG prices at Rs204 per kilogram but dealers are selling one-kilogram commodity at Rs300. The majority of LPG dealers are selling the commodity in ‘black’ at skyrocketing prices.
The residents of affected localities are buying three times meals at skyrocketing rates from hotels while others are wandering here and there in search of fire sources like dry wood, kerosene oil, coal, and expensive LPG.
SNGPL Senior General Manager (Rawalpindi Region) Mukhtar Shah told ‘The News’ that they are continuously supplying full-pressure gas to consumers but a majority of consumers use ‘gas-sucking compressors’ therefore some families have been deprived of gas. “We have laid down gas pipelines of 10 inch here in Adiala Road to boost up gas pressure in all areas,” he claimed. He also said that they have formed special teams to stop use of gas compressors.
For some 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, Dhoke 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 low to zero gas pressure round-the-clock. Even the gas-sucking compressors have failed to work for some days. In fact, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has stopped supply in pipelines.
Talking to ‘The News’, people belonging to different walks of life said that SNGPL was telling lies as per routine. The consumers were wandering here and there in search of fire sources but SNGPL is seeing the whole drama with closed eyes rather to resolve the issue, people said.
Uzma Irfan, a housewife, and resident of Adiala Road rejected the SNGPL claim of providing gas. “We are using LPG or firewood for over a month,” she said. She said that the government was doing nothing in the country, about how they could provide gas in this situation. Nida Maroof, another housewife from Munawar Colony, said that they were paying bills without gas. “I get 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.
