Protest against gas load shedding staged in Jhang

Demonstrators surround SNGPL office in city

FAISALABAD: Scores of people from localities across Jhang came together on Tuesday to protest against gas load shedding in their areas.

The demonstrators surrounded the office of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in the city and later blocked the Jhang-Sargodha Road for traffic. Shehzad Ali, one of the protesters, said the SNGL had suspended gas supply to the localities during the morning and the evening.

He said this had made life difficult for residents of the areas.

Ali said children had not been able to reach schools on time as their breakfast could not be cooked due to gas load shedding.

He said this had also prevented men from reaching their offices on time.

Ali said the unavailability of gas had compelled people to purchase cooked food.

He said such food was substandard and priced prohibitively.

Ali said food was prepared at most restaurants with little regard to hygiene. He said this had wreaked havoc on people’s health.

Muhammad Nawaz, another demonstrator, said the people had appealed to SNGPL officials time and again to ensure the provision of gas in the morning and evening. He said their pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

A number of women and children wielding domestic utensils including spoons and pans were also seen participating in the demonstration.

The protesters raised slogans demanding the restoration of gas to their localities by Saturday and warned that they would stage a sit-in in front of the SNGPL office if the company did not accept their demands.

A team from the local police station rushed to the spot after being informed regarding the protest.

The demonstrators called off the protest after being assured by the policemen that their grievances would be quickly redressed.

An SNGPL official told The Express Tribune that there was great disparity between demand and supply of gas. He said the fact that large amounts of gas were being supplied to industrial units had exacerbated the discrepancy.

The spokesperson said the company had formulated a gas shutdown schedule to manage the paucity. He said gas supply to different localities was suspended at different times in keeping with the schedule.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2015.