Gas outage in winter sparks protest in Quetta

Protesters blocked the main Airport Road against the prolonged and unscheduled gas load shedding near the DHA office in Quetta city.

The protesters demanded an end to the gas outage on a daily basis in Nawa Killi, Hanna Urak, and other city localities.

Local residents blocked both sides of the road for all kind of vehicular traffic as a result people faced great hardship due to the resulting traffic jam.

The protesters chanted slogans against the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Balochistan government for their failure to ensure gas supply in winter in the provincial capital.

“This is great injustice to the residents of Quetta and SSGC should make sure uninterrupted supply of gas,” said a local resident while talking to The Express Tribune.

Local residents later staged a sit-in at the main Airport Road.

“This situation is totally unacceptable as our women, children, and elderly are suffering from the cold and there is no gas supply to heat the home and cook the meals,” Wali Afghan, another leader of the protesters added.

People were forced to take alternative routes to reach their destinations. “I have been waiting for the last two hours to reach my destination,” a taxi driver said.

The SSGC officials reached the place where the protest was going on and held successful negotiations with the local residents.

After the negotiations, protesters opened the road for traffic and peacefully dispersed.

They, however, threatened to resume their protest if load shedding in the Nawa Killi and other areas of the provincial capital is not stopped.

Quetta and most parts of the province have been facing low gas pressure since the start of winter.

This has further increased the problems of the masses in the face of cold dry weather.