4, April 2005	Monday	24 Safar 1426

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

MIANWALI, April 3: The Mianwali district has finally got the facility of Sui gas, but still there are certain hitches in installation of meters and provision of facility to the people.

The project had been lingering on for the last four decades during which several notable politicians made efforts to materialize the dream. However, the gas supply to the district started last year with the efforts of the district administration.

As the facility is being expanded to the entire district, people have complained about difficulties they have bee facing mainly because of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited’ officials corruption. The project has been completed at a cost of Rs128 million.

The residents of some localities have alleged that the project contractor and the SNGPL field staff are involved in petty corruption, as they are demanding Rs300 for regulator and Rs500 for meter installation from the applicants. They say they have already paid the charges while submitting demand notices.

“Those refusing to pay the amount to the SNGPL officials are being denied the facility,” they allege.

The people also accused the contractor of compelling them to purchase hardware and other accessories from the shop he had recently set up.

They demanded that the SNGPL higher authorities should take stock of exploitation by the contractor and corruption by the staff.

Meanwhile, the district government is learnt to have stopped funding the project in the wake of complaints of corruption and asked the Sui gas authorities follow the terms and conditions of the agreement.

The residents have appealed to the federal government to streamline the implementation of the project.

As goes the project’s history, known political figures had tried in vain to surpass one another and claim credit of initiating the project. Four inaugural ceremonies of the gas supply project had taken place here in the past couple of years.