KOHAT: People from different areas of Kohat have complained about low gas pressure and demanded a permanent solution to the problem instead of replacement of a few pipes every winter.

Reacting to the people’s complaints about the low pressure of gas in the KDA town, city, Junglekhel and cantonment, district nazim Maulana Niaz Mohammad said that the SNGPL laid pipes of small diameter 18 years ago without keeping in view the future needs of the people, which had now been creating problem for them.

He stated that gas production started from the Kohat oil and gas fields18 years ago, but still 90 per cent of the district was without the facility. He said that the towns and villages on the Rawalpindi Road were also facing the problem.

The nazim castigated PTI MNA Shehryar Afridi for keeping a mum over the issue being sole representative of the district in the National Assembly and not allowing the PML-N leaders to do the job. He termed it a great injustice with the people.

POWER OUTAGES: District councillor Mian Shah Raza has said that despite their appeals the towns located on Hangu road are not being connected to the Kohat grid station. He claimed that they were subjected to prolonged outages and low voltage from the Hangu grid.

Talking to this correspondent, he said on Saturday that with snowfall on the nearby mountains of Orakzai Agency a chilly cold wave had entered the region, but there was no electricity and gas for the people to keep themselves warm. He said that wood on the mountains had already been ruthlessly cut by the Afghan refugees and then by the IDPs from Orakzai Agency.

He said that according to an earlier proposal generation of hydel power from Sipah stream in Orakzai Agency should be initiated and the energy provided to the towns of Hangu road in Kohat.

He said that unless gas supply was started from Hangu and electricity generated from sites in Orakzai Agency the problems could not be solved.

Published in Dawn January 22nd, 2017