MINGORA/KARAK: Hundreds of residents of Saidu Sharif and suburbs took to the streets on Friday against the SNGPL for prolong gas loadshedding and low pressure.

The protesters holding placards inscribed with slogans in favor of their demands gathered at the Saidu Sharif Chowk and blasted the gas company for carrying over 16 hours of loadshedding since the arrival of winter.

“Saidu Sharif is the capital city of Swat where gas was provided 12 years ago, but unfortunately every winter witnesses up to 16 to 20 hours of outages. Following its tradition the SNGPL has suspended gas supply this winter as well,” said Dr Khalid Mehmood, former tehsil nazim.

He said that despite court orders, the SNGPL was observing unscheduled and prolonged gas loadshedding. He said majority of the people were poor and could not afford purchasing costly LPG and firewood.

“I earn Rs600 daily which is not sufficient for meeting daily needs of my family. Nowadays I have to pay extra money to purchase LPG for cooking for which I have to lend money. I also pay the gas bill regularly,” Javed ur Rehman, a rickshaw driver, said, adding life had become very hard for the poor as price hike had reached to alarming levels.

Ahmad Naseer, another resident, said the gas supply line to Saidu Sharif was very narrow compared to other areas.

When contacted, in-charge SNGPL Swat Engr Mirwais Khan said new pipeline was being laid to Saidu Sharif, which will resolve the problem of loadshedding and low pressure.

Meanwhile, a jirga on Friday threatened to block the Takht-i-Nusrati-Darratang Road in Karak district if the SNGPL did not improve the gas pressure.

Talking to reporters on Friday, the jirga members, including Maulana Arshad Azizi, Malik Tahir Azam, traders’ association president Malik Mujahid Mehboob and others, complained that they had protested the low gas pressure and unscheduled power loadshedding the other day.

They said the SNGPL and local administration authorities had assured them that the gas pressure would be increased within 24 hours, but to no avail. They regretted that power supply also remained suspended for long hours in violation of the official loadshedding schedule.

They demanded of the SNGPL and Pesco local authorities to improve gas pressure and carry out electricity loadshedding according to the official schedule.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2019