RAWALPINDI, Nov 25: Life is not easy for Meharban Malik and the recent gas outages have added to his problems as he has to borrow money for purchasing alternative fuel despite paying his utility bills.

“I am working with a private firm and earn Rs15,000 monthly, which is not enough to make ends meet. After the lengthy gas outages for the last about 15 days, I have spent Rs2,300 to fill the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the cylinder,” he said with tension writ large on his face for the coming days.

Meharban was one of the 200 angry residents of Dhoke Hassu, Dhoke Mangtal and adjoining areas who gathered at Railway Carriage Factory Road in front of Railway Hospital to protest the gas outages on Friday.

He said he had seven-member family and one kg LPG, costing Rs150, was needed to cook meal and breakfast daily. He said when the area people decided to stage the protest demonstration he agreed to participate in it.

The protesters staged a sit-in and blocked the Railway Carriage Factory Road by burning tyres, pelting stones, bricks and erecting barriers for all kinds of traffic, causing immense problems for commuters as well as pedestrians. No police official reached the spot to disperse the mob and end the traffic jam.

While talking to newsmen, Mohammad Naseer from Dhoke Mangtal said they had been facing gas loadshedding for the last one month but the government and local leaders remained oblivious to their problems. He said the government raised the tariff regularly and was sending inflated utility bills without providing sufficient gas for domestic use.

Another protester, Fareed Ahmed said they were bringing food from hotels and sometimes their children went to schools without breakfast. He demanded that the government should resolve the issue.Some motorists tried to defy the obstacles in a bid to reach their destinations but stick-wielding women taking part in the protest did not allow them to proceed.

Instead of dispersing the protesters, the local police and traffic wardens were seen stopping motorists from entering the road from I.J.

Principal and Gunjmandi roads.

Meanwhile, the residents of Dhoke Ratta and Railway Colony also staged a protest demonstration in front of Railway Godowns against the gas outages. Over 150 protesters gathered at the area after Friday prayers and blocked the Railway Road while burning tyres.

After passage of two hours, local police officials reached the scene and held talks with the protesters and assured them that their complaints would be conveyed to higher authorities. After this, the protesters dispersed.—Aamir Yasin