Chilly nights: No gas supply in suburban Rawalpindi

Poor residents are defenceless against the cold.

RAWALPINDI: Low gas pressure in suburban areas of the garrison city has become a constant nuisance for residents, who face hard times in freezing temperatures.

Supply issues are particularly hitting areas around Adiala, Dhamial, and Chakri roads. Residents of the area are without gas in the mornings and at night.

“There is no gas at night or in the morning. We cannot prepare breakfast for our children before they leave for school. At night, we either use electric heaters or firewood to warm up our houses,” said Malik Imran, who lives in Fatima Colony on Chakri Road.

He added that people, who can afford to buy LNG cylinders to cook food, go for that option, while others are forced to use wood or coal.

“The price of one LNG cylinder is about Rs5,000. Not everyone can afford it,” complained Adnan Khan, a resident of Pathan Colony, Dhamial Road.

He noted that some poor people had purchased smaller cylinders and were getting them refilled from shops where LNG is being decanted illegally.

Illegal decanting has seen a surge this winter due to the failure of public utility services to meet demand, according to citizens in different areas around Adiala Road. Israr Ahmed from Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Adiala Road, said that he found the government’s decision to resume CNG supply to gas stations during the winter “strange”, especially when there is none for household consumers.

He shared that supply had been better at the beginning of December, but has had a driect correlation with the temperature.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited Rawalpindi Division Chief Engineer Syed Muhammad Raza was not available for comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2015.