RAWALPINDI: An extremely low gas pressure in various localities of the garrison city put consumers in a bind as they were unable to prepare Sehri on the first day of Ramazan on Thursday.

The unavailability of gas forced the citizens to buy food from the market for Sehri.

According to residents, gas pressure sharply dropped from 2am to 4am.

Among the most affected areas were Media Town, Shah Khalid Colony, Gulzar-i-Quaid, Airport Housing Society, Chaklala Scheme-III and Nayyar Colony.

Sarmad Ahmed, a resident of Media Town, said the stove did not catch fire due to low gas pressure at Sehri.

He said the situation was worse in this area as gas pressure in some adjoining areas was good, especially in Bahria Town and Police Foundation.

“We had to bring meals for Sehri and Iftar from markets where gas pressure is normal,” he said.

Shabir Chaudhry, a resident of Nayyar Colony, said gas had been in short supply from the first day of Ramazan.

He said the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) had provided gas connections to a large number of sweet shops and hotels which affected the pressure of gas to domestic consumers.

Faisal Malik, a resident of Shah Khalid Colony, said since the start of the current rain spell gas pressure had been very low.

He said people opted for other fuel means like coal and wood in Iftar.

Mohammad Akram, a resident of Sadiqabad, said due to low gas pressure, Naanbais also increased the prices of roti from Rs25 to Rs30 as they were using wood.

Ali Abbas, a resident of Dhoke Ratta, said locals had lodged complaints with the SNGPL Rawalpindi office but the officials were not taking the matter seriously.

He said the basic reason for low pressure was the mushroom growth of CNG filling stations on the adjoining Railway Workshop Road.

He said these filling stations were provided gas from the main line supplying gas to domestic consumers.

“I brought coal to cook food as natural gas is not available after 12 midnight,” said Mohammad Tauqeer, a resident of Arya Mohallah.

Ahmed Malik, a resident of Gawalmandi, said they were facing low pressure with the start of the Ramazan.

“The gas pressure was better but after the arrival of Ramazan, the pressure went low suddenly. The SNGPL officials claimed that the number of gas users had increased in the area. It also claimed that the locals were making nimkos in houses for commercial purposes,” he said.

When contacted, officials at the SNGPL regional office said there was a gap between demand and supply. They said the load of the domestic sector increased three times in Ramazan which created a gap.

He said the company was paying priority to domestic consumers under the special directives of the federal government. He said within a few days the situation would improve.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2023