PA fumes over gas outages

Opposition urges CM to take up issue with CCI

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KARACHI:

Tempers flared during the Sindh Assembly session on Friday as MPAs from both the treasury and the opposition closed ranks to voice strong objections to the ongoing gas shortages in the province.

The session was briefly disrupted when the question hour was skipped due to the absence of the lawmakers who had tabled questions, allowing the house to adjourn early. The fiery debate centered on an adjournment motion tabled by PPP MPA Heer Soho regarding the gas load-shedding in the province.

MPA Soho stated that Sindh produces 61% of the country's gas, yet struggles to meet its own demand. While the province requires 400 million cubic meters (mmc) of gas daily, supply is erratic, with gas supply starting at 6am and shutting off by 9am. This inconsistency, she argued, has led to severe hardship, particularly for families whose children go to school without breakfast.

Echoing MPA Soho's sentiments, Jamaat-e-Islami's Muhammad Farooq stated that gas produced in a province should first be allocated to that province before being distributed elsewhere. He also pointed to the broader implications of gas shortages, citing the adverse effects on industries like the bangle manufacturing sector in Hyderabad, which had to close due to high gas tariffs and supply disruptions.

MQM's Rashid Khan also threw his support behind the motion, stressing that the people of Sindh are fed up with the constant gas load shedding. He urged the provincial government to prioritise the needs of the region before supplying gas to other parts of the country.

PPP lawmakers, including Roma Mushtaq Mattu, Marvi Faseeh Rashidi, and Saima Agha, along with MQM's Naseer Ahmed, all echoed the call for a resolution to the issue, lamenting the increasing reliance on wood for cooking and heating as a result of gas shortages.

Provincial Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon described the gas load-shedding as part of the ongoing neglect faced by Sindh. He reinforced that the Constitution mandates that gas be supplied first to the region where it is produced. He stressed that the federal government must adhere to these constitutional provisions, pointing out that while urban areas once had sufficient gas, rural areas are now facing even worse shortages.

Sharjeel also suggested that MQM should join the provincial government in raising the issue with the federal government to ensure the equitable distribution of gas across the country.

The session also discussed various other issues. MQM's Shariq Jamal raised a concern about overflowing garbage in his constituency (PS-90), stating that no organisation, including the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, had been able to address the problem. Sharjeel acknowledged the issue but stressed that the Sindh government had invested billions of rupees to improve solid waste management.

Another issue raised by Rashid Khan concerned unpaid salaries for employees of the Hyderabad Development Authority and the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, to which Sharjeel assured that legal action would be taken once the names of the affected employees were submitted to the relevant authorities.