QUETTA, Nov 18: The Sui Southern gas Company (SSGC) may find it difficult to ensure smooth supply of gas in Balochistan if it fails to recover outstanding dues of Rs440 million from consumers.

This was stated by SSGC’s general manager Aftab Ahmed Memon at a press conference on Tuesday. He said the amount of unpaid bills was increasing, affecting the company’s service and development plans in the province.

He said the SSGC had launched an awareness campaign to save people from gas-related accidents during winter. Every year, scores of people die of suffocation in such accidents.

Mr Memon said people should switch off gas heaters when going to bed.

He said that theft of gas in the provincial capital was also hindering smooth supply.

“We detected 1,585 cases of gas theft in Quetta last year and recovered Rs120 million,” he said.

He said 181 more cases detected over the past three months were being investigated and the company would recover the gas charge with fine.

Replying to a question, he said the theft was also lowering gas pressure in different areas. “Most of the gas theft is taking place in the Nawa Killi area.”He said the company was supplying gas to 140,000 consumers in Quetta and work was under way on projects to cover more areas.

He said the SSGC was laying another pipeline in the city to solve the problem of low pressure. Work is under way on 41 development schemes in the province and around 70 per cent of work has been completed.

Responding to a question, he said supply had been restored to 26 of the 27 villages of Ziarat district affected by the recent earthquake.

He said the SSGC was also laying a pipeline to supply gas to Nushki, Khuzdar, Qila Abdullah and the remaining parts of Ziarat district.