GUJAR KHAN: The residents of a number of villages in Gujar Khan have complained that the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) was ‘deliberately’ delaying the provision of connections to their homes despite fulfillment of all formalities, including the payments against demand notices.

Ali Asghar, 80, from the Kolian Hameed village, said he applied for the facility on May 5, 2009, and a survey was conducted for providing connection to his house on Oct 3, 2009. On October 19, 2009, a contract was also signed after he paid the fee on the receipt of the demand note.

However, since then, Mr Asghar said, he had been moving from pillar to post to get the facility. The elderly man regretted that his village was provided Sui gas over 15 years ago but he was still deprived of the facility. He said he had lost all hopes to get the Sui gas in his lifetime.

Mohammad Ibrahim Dar, a resident of Adhi village, said federal minister for petroleum and natural resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had introduced a scheme under which an applicant would be provided Sui gas connection if he paid a Rs25,000 urgent connection fee. He said he paid the urgent connection fee along with the Rs7,500 security fee in June 2014 but was still not provided Sui gas.

Raja Mohammad Akram, a professor in government college Daultala, said he had also been waiting for the installation of gas connection at his home in the Barkat town.

Many other residents of Kharali, Adhi, Kauntrila, Moohri Rajgan and Daultala villages are also facing a similar situation after depositing fees against the demand notices months ago.

Despite repeated attempts, the general manager SNGPL, Rawalpindi region, could not be contacted for his comments on the complaints of the citizens.

Published in Dawn December 15th , 2014