LAHORE, Nov 26: As the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) carried out the planned 36-hour shutdown for connecting a new and bigger supply line to city on Monday, half of Lahore either lost gas supply or pressure.

Though the company had informed people in advance, the information, however, did not lessen the impact or the problem for consumers who had supplies as hearths, geysers and heaters all went offline.

The sheer spread of the affected areas tell the story. During the shutdown, following areas either lost gas altogether or witnessed a very low pressure. They include District Cantt, Sadar, Defence, Cavalary Ground, Walton Road, Nishter Colony, Quaid-i-Millat Colony, Chungi Amar Sadhu, Glaxo Town, Dullu Khurd, Sufiabad, Yohanaabad, Venus Colony. Kamahan Village, State Life, Sui Gas Society, Punjab Co-operative, Pak Arab, Gohawa, Bedian Road, Bhatta Chowk, Nadirabad, Ghazi Road, RA Bazar, Ali Abad. Ferozepur Road from Rohi Nullah to Kalma Chowk, Township, Model Town, Garden Town, Green Town, College Road. Ghaziabad, Dharampura, Herbanspura, Jallo, Batapur, Zarar Shaheed Road, Askari 10, Gulberg Area and adjacent localities, District Kasur, Kasur City, Kahna. Mustafabad, Lilyani, Lakhnaky, Vadana, Central Park, Aalo Village, Nabi Bux, Ferozepur Road, from Rohi Nullah to Kasur and Raja Jang, Depalpur Kasur Road, Shehzada Village, Soa Asal, Bhullar, Pandoke, Ladhay Key, Jamman Village, Baddokey, Jhalkey Keerkey and some adjacent localities.

People also wondered why the engineers needed 36 hours just to connect an already laid pipeline to a new one.

“People are totally dependent on natural gas for cooking, heating and warm water and any step to suspend that lifeline should have been better planned,” says Muhammad Ramzan of the Walton Road. With this decision, the company deprived almost half of the city of gas for good 36 hours. To make the matter worse, entire localities and their adjacent areas are without gas. That means “we have to travel down to the Mall, cross the canal and get some roti, which we cannot make at home. This is planning at its worst, he lamented.