False promises: Protesters block Faisal Avenue against gas shortage
Say supply discontinued for the past month and a half.
Enraged residents voicing their protest against cold hearths and homes. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD JAVAID/EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Residents of Sector G-7 blocked Faisal Avenue for more than three hours on Friday, which disrupted the traffic flow to protest against gas load-shedding. The first time that a major artery was blocked in the heart of the capital in the new year.
The protesters burnt tires, chanted slogans against the government and demanded immediate restoration of gas supply in their sector. The residents have been receiving inflated bills every month though they have been without gas in their homes for the past one and a half month.
Some of them criticised Pakistan Tehreek -e-Insaf MNA Asad Umer who won from NA-48 in a by-election last year, saying that he only came to their area to ask for votes but he had not visited them since even once to ask about their problems.
For the last three to four days we’ve been on the roads protesting for our basic rights but he did not even come once to show solidarity or to help us resolve the issue, complained the protesters.
They said that it was freezing cold and they were unable to cook food or keep their homes warm, exposing elderly family members and children to the cold and related ailments.
Dilshad Begum, 55, said, “It seems strange that we live in the heart of the capital and yet we’re forced to cook food on firewood.” Most women in my area don’t know how to light fire to the wood and sometimes it takes hours. “We can starve but we cannot see our children starving just because of gas load-shedding.”
Najma, a housewife said, “We are forced to ask our children to set aside their books and go out to collect firewood and leaves.” How can a family whose monthly income is Rs10,000 afford to buy meals which cost more then Rs300 a day? she asked.
Abbas Ali and Mohammad Younas, Shahid said that for the last one month the concerned departments have been fooling them by saying that the gas supply would be resumed within two to three days but that has not been the case.
We’re unable to go to office on time as we’ve to arrange breakfast for the family and help burn logs, Ali said. “Burning firewood is very dangerous as the room fills up with smoke making everyone cough.”
“There are asthma patients at home and they suffer when we burn logs inside the house to keep it warm,” he added.
An assistant commissioner of the capital came to Faisal Avenue and assured the protesters that the issue would be resolved within three days.
Earlier this week, a massive protest by residents of Alipur Farash against gas load-shedding blocked traffic on Lehtrar Road, which links the capital’s rural areas around Tarlai and provides an alternative route to Rawalpindi.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2014.
Residents of Sector G-7 blocked Faisal Avenue for more than three hours on Friday, which disrupted the traffic flow to protest against gas load-shedding. The first time that a major artery was blocked in the heart of the capital in the new year.
The protesters burnt tires, chanted slogans against the government and demanded immediate restoration of gas supply in their sector. The residents have been receiving inflated bills every month though they have been without gas in their homes for the past one and a half month.
Some of them criticised Pakistan Tehreek -e-Insaf MNA Asad Umer who won from NA-48 in a by-election last year, saying that he only came to their area to ask for votes but he had not visited them since even once to ask about their problems.
For the last three to four days we’ve been on the roads protesting for our basic rights but he did not even come once to show solidarity or to help us resolve the issue, complained the protesters.
They said that it was freezing cold and they were unable to cook food or keep their homes warm, exposing elderly family members and children to the cold and related ailments.
Dilshad Begum, 55, said, “It seems strange that we live in the heart of the capital and yet we’re forced to cook food on firewood.” Most women in my area don’t know how to light fire to the wood and sometimes it takes hours. “We can starve but we cannot see our children starving just because of gas load-shedding.”
Najma, a housewife said, “We are forced to ask our children to set aside their books and go out to collect firewood and leaves.” How can a family whose monthly income is Rs10,000 afford to buy meals which cost more then Rs300 a day? she asked.
Abbas Ali and Mohammad Younas, Shahid said that for the last one month the concerned departments have been fooling them by saying that the gas supply would be resumed within two to three days but that has not been the case.
We’re unable to go to office on time as we’ve to arrange breakfast for the family and help burn logs, Ali said. “Burning firewood is very dangerous as the room fills up with smoke making everyone cough.”
“There are asthma patients at home and they suffer when we burn logs inside the house to keep it warm,” he added.
An assistant commissioner of the capital came to Faisal Avenue and assured the protesters that the issue would be resolved within three days.
Earlier this week, a massive protest by residents of Alipur Farash against gas load-shedding blocked traffic on Lehtrar Road, which links the capital’s rural areas around Tarlai and provides an alternative route to Rawalpindi.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th, 2014.