WHILE K-Electric (KE) has been often, and rightly, discussed as an exploitative utility service provider, the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) is not far behind when it comes to unprofessional and unethical practices. There have been unauthorised charges in my monthly gas bills under the pretext of the so-called ‘conical baffle’ fee.

For the last few months, the SSGC has been charging me Rs174 per month for the baffle. Ironically, the device has not yet been installed at my premises. Despite repeated follow-ups, nothing has been done to resolve the issue.

I have called the SSGC complaint centre at 1199 twice. While the representatives acknowledged the charge and stated it was ‘mandatory’, they also mentioned that a team would visit my premises to inspect the situation.

However, no team has arrived yet, and none of my complaints has been resolved. Worse still, my complaints filed between June 9 and July 8 have been marked

as ‘completed’ on the SSGC mobile app without any resolution or action taken.

This amounts to extortion of money under false pretence, and it is extremely disappointing to see a public-sector utility company engaging in such unethical practices. There appears to be no accoun- tability or transparency in the system, and the grievances of consumers are being blatantly ignored.

Will somebody direct the SSGC to stop charging for the conical baffle until it is actually installed, and to refund the previously deducted amount for the months the device was not provided?

There should be a transparent system of complaint resolution where complaints are actually addressed, not just closed falsely.

Sagheer Ahmed
Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2025