LAHORE: I am a domestic consumer of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL). I have a gas connection in a two-bedroom flat. My younger brother lives in the flat but doesn’t cook too often so the gas consumption is quite low. I visit it every three or four days.
On September 6, when we were not at the flat, SNGPL staff came and disconnected the gas supply and took the meter with them. The security staff of the colony where the flat is located were given a receipt alleging that my connection was being used to provide gas to five other flats.
I went to the SNGPL office in Gulberg, Lahore. After spending almost half a day, I finally managed to speak to the right person. I showed him copies of the previous six months’ gas bills, which were all low and the official agreed that if there was an issue of five other flats being supplied also, then the figure would have been much higher. He also asked a subordinate for my meter and was told that it was at his (the subordinate’s) home. I was told to come after a few days, during which the meter would be tested in the SNGPL lab. I visited the SNGPL official several times, only to be told each time that the meter was still at the employee’s house. Finally, on October 8, it was brought to the office and was then sent to the lab for a test on October 10. I was informed that testing would take “one week”. On October 18, I visited the office yet again and was told that the official who was dealing with me was on leave. I visited the office again on October 23 and found out the official had been transferred! And there was no lab report on my flat’s gas meter.
For the past one month and a half, for no fault of mine, the gas meter is in the SNGPL’s possession. In desperation, I chose to write about my ordeal to your newspaper. Perhaps, after reading this, someone senior at the SNGPL will help me. If it helps, my consumer number is 82491710008.
Farhan Iqbal
Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2012.
