FOR someone belonging to a very small family, gas bills have almost invariably been in three digits, but the bill for April, when there was hardly any gas in the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) pipeline, was shockingly enough to the tune of Rs2,310.

The period coincided with the fasting month of Ramazan, and by the time the lady cook, who would come all the way from Orangi to Seaview Apartments (mine is No. 24), used to arrive at our place, there was no gas whatsoever until the evening This resulted in her using the electric stove, or for us to order food from outside.

My SSGC consumer number is 34793300000 (4), and, if history of personal and community experiences is anything to go by, the SSGC bill will repeat itself next month, and will go from bad to worse. That is what I fear the most right now. Is someone in the utility company listening? If yes, will that ‘someone’ do something about it?

Asif Noorani
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2023