PESHAWAR: The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Peshawar Region, has assured the worried customers that concrete steps are being taken to ensure sufficient gas supply to them during the peak winter season.

“We are taking practical steps to ensure that enough gas is available to consumers during the peak winter season,” Taj Ali Khan, the SNGPL General Manager, said in a statement issued here the other day.

Mr Khan said that a special control room had been established in the SNGPL office, Peshawar, where the company’s officers would be available round-the-clock to quickly respond to any complaint.

He said that 77 kilometres long old leaking and damaged pipelines of 4”, 2” and 1” diameter had been replaced during 2020-21 in Peshawar city and Charsadda at a total cost of Rs189 million to ensure improved gas supply to consumers.

Mr Khan said that the SNGPL was also carrying out replacement of 174 kilometres additional old leaking and damaged network of 4”, 2” and 1” diameter during the current financial year at a cost of Rs513 million.

“The network includes areas of Nothia Qadeem, Nothia Jadeed, Gulberg, Charsadda Road, Nasir Bagh Road, Gulbahar, Ijazabad, Tajabad and Pajjagi Road in Peshawar.

Similarly, he said SNGPL was carrying out a pilot project of rehabilitating 30 kilometres of its network in the suburbs of Peshawar at a cost of Rs50 million. He added in these areas the network had suffered extensive damage and was prone to theft and losses due to installation of illegal taps. He maintained that under the project, 25,000 domestic connections would be provided.

“A campaign has been started against illegal use of compressors with mass awareness through media, while gas supply is being disconnected as a punitive measure,” he said.

The SNGPL general manager further said that various projects worth Rs2.7 billion had been undertaken in Charsadda district and on the Khazana-Charsadda Road, Peshawar, and in Kohat to augment the under-sized transmission network.

Mr Khan said that a 10” diameter transmission pipeline was under execution at a cost of Rs1.5 billion, while a 16” diameter pipeline was being laid at a cost of Rs0.411 million in the Kohat city and the cantonment.

He further said that various projects worth Rs700 million, including laying of pipelines in Peshawar city, had been commissioned in the current financial year and were in the operational phase.

An additional Rs101 million were being spent on revamping pipeline network of the Peshawar city areas, including Safiabad, Wazirbagh, Safi Town, Nasir Bagh Road, Nothia Charkha Khel, Tehkal Bala and Tehkal Payan and Academy Town, he said, adding the SNGPL was committed to ensuring appropriate gas supply to all consumers in a well-planned manner in winter.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2021