Gas shortfall giving rise to sale of faulty cylinders

A four-kilogram LPG cylinder is retailing at Rs 1,200 in the city

LAHORE:

Residents of one of the most populous cities of the country are not only struggling with air pollution but are also facing a gas shortage, while the temperature continues to dip, forcing them to rely on expensive and in some cases life-threatening alternatives.

With gas unavailable, Punjab’s capital’s residents demand for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders has increased resulting in suppliers charging higher prices. For instance, a 4 kilogram LPG cylinder is retailing at Rs 1,200 in the city.

However, the upsurge in demand has given rise to a problem that carries a great potential risk - substandard gas cylinders. Irfan Khokhar, Chairman of the LPG Distributors Association Pakistan, while talking to The Express Tribune, stated that incidents of cylinder gas explosions in the province were growing due to substandard cylinders.

“The association wrote several letters to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) after which they cracked down on the issue. However, it is lamentable that even after strict measures, the production of substandard gas cylinders has once again resumed,” a concerned Khokhar said.

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He informed that the sale of such life-threatening gas containers was happening under the noses of law enforcement agencies in full swing in several parts of Lahore.

“In the past few years, over 7,000 innocent people have lost their lives due to faulty gas cylinders in the country and the administration is turning a blind eye to the issue in Punjab,” said Khokhar, laying the blame on the provincial government.

However, the usage of substandard cylinders is not just restricted to household use. LPG cylinders are used in the abundant amount of rickshaws in the city and public transport like buses and vans putting the hundreds of commuters who use these modes of transport at a high risk.

When inquired about the issue, Imran Maqbool, Spokesperson of the Deputy Commissioner Office in Lahore, said that they take swift actions against substandard cylinders whenever a complaint was received. “We confiscate the cylinders and register cases against the offenders,” Maqbool informed. Despite Maqbool’s claims, Khokhar states that the sale of substandard cylinders will only increase as the cold intensifies and more people experience gas shortage. He further predicted that prices of even the faulty cylinders would increase twofold.

Thus far to meet the gas demand of the country’s most populous province Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) has already suspended gas supply to compressed natural gas (CNG) stations across Punjab indicating that domestic consumers were a priority. However, sources informed that given the current upsurge in demand for gas and the acute shortfall in the province, the Punjab government may opt to import LPG to ensure that local demand is met.