Gas utility says supply to re-rolling mills will resume as per schedule on 25th

Industrialists hit out at SNGPL for breaching its promise and failing to restore gas.

LAHORE: Industrialists have hit out at Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) for breaching its promise and failing to restore gas supply to steel re-rolling mills from Monday.

After receiving complaints from mills, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh, in a statement, said that had the gas company kept its word, over 300,000 to 400,000 workers associated with re-rolling mills would not be sitting idle.

“People came to work in the morning and after a few hours they were asked to go back as gas supply had not been restored,” he said.

LCCI office-bearers say around 40 per cent of industrial units in Punjab run on gas and the suspension of supply means no production by almost half of the industry.

SNGPL General Manager Sales Rehan Nawaz said the company had divided Punjab into four zones before restoring gas supply. Lahore has been divided into two zones – Lahore-1 including Muridke and Sheikhupura and Lahore-2 including Lahore city, Multan Road, Sahiwal up to Harappa.

Nawaz said the company had restored gas supply to Zone-2, but it had very few steel re-rolling mills. A large number of mills are in Lahore-1 and Faisalabad zone, which, he said, would be provided gas according to the schedule – Lahore-1 from January 27 to 29 and Faisalabad zone from January 25 to 27.

“SNGPL has managed to provide gas according to the schedule despite a reduction of 50 million cubic feet for about 10 hours on Monday from the Sawan well,” Nawaz said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2012.