14 January 2005	Friday	03 Zilhaj 1425

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QUETTA, Jan 13: A relative calm prevailed in the Sui area on Thursday amid deployment of Frontier Corps troops and regular flights of helicopters to monitor the situation.

After five day's of clashes between security forces and armed men, no fresh incident of firing or rocket attack was reported from any area of Sui during the last 48 hours, officials said on Thursday.

Helicopters continued to hover over the gas field and sensitive installations and residential areas to keep an eye on the situation. The small Sui town was wearing a deserted look as majority of the people had moved to safer places due to heavy rocket attacks and mortar shelling.

"Most of the civilians, especially government employees, have shifted from Sui and surrounding areas along with their families to other safer places," a police official told this correspondent from Sui.

He said that no one had been arrested so far in connection with the violence in the area. Meanwhile, the provincial government has strengthened security in and around the Sui township and sent more FC troops.

"Over 300 additional FC men have arrived in Sui to help local administration in maintaining order," a senior official of Sui administration told Dawn by telephone. The troops have set up their base within the fenced area of gas plant and gas field. They have not been deployed in the township so far, sources said.

"With strict security measures normality is returning to the Sui township," Home Minister Mir Shoaib Nausherwani said and added that no one involved in attacks on security forces had so far been arrested. He, however, said that those nominated in this connection would be arrested soon.

He confirmed deployment of additional FC troops in the area for protecting gas field, purification and compressor plants and other installations. He said the provincial government had taken all necessary steps for restoring peace in the area.

Electricity and water supply to many areas of the township had been restored, while broken electric wires were being repaired. However, residents of Bugti Colony, Boghra Colony, old Sui Colony, Mandarani Colony and some other localities were still without power as damaged electric poles and wires could not be repaired so far.

"Power supply to the area would be fully restored in a couple of days," an official of the Sui administration said and added that some of the markets had reopened in the Sui town and traders and shopkeepers who had not left Sui had opened their shops on Thursday.

The extent of losses suffered by the people because of damage to property and valuables due to rocket and mortar firing is still to be ascertained. A large number of houses, vehicles, patrol pumps, shops and other property were damaged in different areas of the Sui township.

Killing of cattle was also reported from some areas. "People suffer huge losses during the five-day clashes," a local resident, Jawansal Bugti, said over phone. Gas supply from Sui plant could not be restored till late Thursday as the PPL purification plant hit in the attack had not started working.

PPL engineers have started repairing damaged pipelines and other installations. "The repair work would take a few more days," PPL officials said, adding that they were trying to restore gas supply as soon as possible.

NO FURTHER CUT: The Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) said on Thursday that no further curtailment of supplies would be effected for industry or any other sector, adds our staff reporter from Lahore.

"Though no gas is still available from Sui gas plant, the company has managed to balance the demand and supply position by curtailing supply to power and fertilizer sectors," says a company official.

On Thursday, the company received 1,250 million cubic feet from different sources and was able to meet the demand of commercial and domestic customers. It supplemented the demand with its pack - compressed reserve in distribution pipelines - to the tune of 250 mcf, and it dropped from 2,750mcf to 2,550mcf. With weather getting stable, the demand of gas has also not risen substantially and provided a much-needed relief to the company, he said.