KARAK: The people of Karak and Takht-i-Nusrati on Thursday blocked local roads to protest suspension of gas supply. The people faced severe hardships due to suspension of gas in Karak city, which led to closure of all hotels and restaurants.

The protesters of Takht-i-Nusrati led by Mohammad Nawaz marched from Takht-i-Nusrati to the Indus Highway before blocking it at Amberi Kalay Chowk and burning old tyres.

The speakers said residents of some Kanda Karak villages had secured illegal gas connections from the main transmission line but the district administration and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) had punished the entire population of Karak and Takht-i-Nusrati.

They said they had secured legal gas connections and regularly paid monthly gas bills but SNGPL was punishing them for the faults of others.

They warned that if the district administration and SNGPL failed to restore gas supply to Takht-i-Nusrati, then they would agitate.

Also in the day, traders along with residents of Karak city blocked Karak-Bannu Road at Saddam Chowk and demanded of the district administration and SNGPL to restore gas supply without delay.

The traders, including Ayub Khan and Ghulam Rabbani, claimed that Karak produced oil and gas in large quantity, so suspending gas supply to the district was unacceptable to local population.

They said the district was given millions of rupees worth of revenues on a daily basis and it was the responsibility of the government to ensure provision of uninterrupted gas supply to the district.

The traders said if the government didn’t restore gas supply within 24 hours, then they would launch a protest movement. When contacted, spokesman for SNGPL, southern district Raza Khan Khattak said the residents of Kanda Karak and other localities didn’t allow SNGPL staff to disconnect illegal gas connections.

He said the people had used substandard material to secure illegal gas connections, so if they increased gas pressure, it could harm public life and property.