KARACHI, Feb 5: Illegal gas connections are becoming a menace in katchi abadis and slums of the city. Owing to a growing number of such connections, the problem of low pressure, especially during peak-use hours, is being faced by genuine consumers. Moreover, a high risk of fire is involved in the illegal activity as in most cases, safety standards are usually ignored while taking an extra connection from a legal one.

It has been observed that most of the households in under-developed localities of the city have illegal gas connections largely because a property-owner would provide extra connections to his one, two or even more tenants from the single line provided to one family. This illegal arrangement is made obviously to save the amount charged by the gas utility for providing a separate meter to each household.

On the other side, this menace creates problems for genuine gas consumers. “We have been complaining to the SSGC officials about the low gas pressure in our locality for long and they would always assure us of remedial measures. However, nothing has been done in this regard,” complained residents of Raja Tanveer Colony and Toori Bangash Colony.