RAWALPINDI: With the temperature down to seven degrees Celsius, residents of different localities have started facing low gas pressure.

“Local PML-N leaders installed banners in the city claiming that a project worth Rs10 million had been launched to replace old supply lines in order to end gas loadshedding. But Dhoke Ratta, Pirwadhai, Mazaharabad and Dhoke Hassu are facing low pressure of gas,” PPP city spokesman Nasir Mir told Dawn.

He said gas was being supplied to these areas from the main line at I.J. Principal Road via Chak Madad Khan. “The supply line is rusty and old as it was laid in the 60s and requires replacement but the government did nothing to improve the situation in the last four years,” he said.

Demand for gas has gone up due to fall in temperature, says SNGPL official

On the other hand, Altaf Butt, a resident of Dhoke Ratta, said his area was experiencing gas loadshedding from 7am to 3pm every day.

He said though gas was available in the evening and at night the pressure remained low. On the other hand, he added, the gas bill was increasing.

Raja Ramzan, a resident of Ratta Amral, said: “For us the loadshedding of gas has become routine.”

Mohammad Tanveer, of Pirwadhai, said mostly low income salary group lived in the area and cannot afford LPG cylinders. He said LPG was available at Rs150 per kg but the residents were not in a position to spend Rs500 a week on filling their cylinders.

Mohammad Suleman, a resident of Dhoke Hassu, said they had been facing the shortage of gas with frequent intervals for over two weeks.

He said it was strange that the government was not taking the issue seriously.

Another resident, Abbas Shah, said the low pressure had forced the residents to adopt old means of fuel such as coal and wood. But the cheapest coal made from wood was available at Rs100 per kg in the market, he said.

Mohammad Sajid, a resident of Dehri Hassanabad, said it was very hard to make ends meet in the prevailing price hike. “We would have to pay increased gas bills despite the low pressure.”

When contacted, a senior official of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) said there was no announced or unannounced gas loadshedding in the city areas.

However, he said the demand for gas had increased with a fall in the temperature and the situation would improve in a day or two.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2017