Natural gas: People of a lesser god

Poor residents of Bhara Kahu without connections since 2007.

ISLAMABAD: The fifth phase of gas supply to Bhara Kahu was inaugurated by Senator Nayyar Bukhari on Tuesday. But not all areas have been treated equally. Thousands of residents living in Bhara Kahu, in the suburbs of Islamabad, have been deprived of natural gas, while their well-off influential neighbours have  had access to the facility for years.

The gas supply project for the area was first inaugurated in July 2007 by former prime minister Shaukat Aziz. The government had allocated Rs220 million for the project, which was later increased to Rs300 million in 2009.

But many living in Bhara Kahu have been unable to avail the facility. Razia Bibi  a domestic worker who lives in Chuadhrian ka Muhalla just opposite a Compressed Natural Gas station owned by Faryal Talpur (Member National Assembly and sister of President Asif Ali Zardari) said, “We cannot afford to pay Rs35,000 to Rs40,000 to get the connection and we do not have a strong political backing to get it [free-of-charge].”

She added that majority of her neighbours got the connection due to strong links within Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) or after paying huge sums of money.

The alternative available to people without a gas connection is a gas cylinder, which, due to its high cost, is often not feasible. Razia Bibi’s family is thus left with no option but to rely on collecting woods and leaves from nearby areas. But it is not just a matter of money. Asad Sultan Kiyani, resident of Kot Katyal in Bhara Kahu, submitted an application for gas connection to the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) four months ago. He is yet to get a response from them.

He approached members of the committee formed by the PPP-led government. When he got no response from them he raised the issue through various newspapers. “This angered them and they said that you will never get the connection.”

Pakistan Television (PTV) colony located on the main Simly Dam Road is also deprived of natural gas, despite houses beyond the colony having gas connections.

“We tried to get a connection several times but they ask for too much money,” a retired government official living in PTV colony told The Express Tribune. He did not want to be named.

Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, who represents Bhara Kahu in the national assembly, conceded that there was an unequal distribution of natural gas in the area.

“PPP has a stronghold in the area and they are misusing their powers by blessing their own with the facilities,” he said. He added that a lot of corruption was involved in the distribution of the gas supply.

“Being the representative of the area I tried a lot to tackle the issue but failed due to strong influence of the ruling party in the area,” said Chaudhry.

Senator Bukhari was not immediately available for a comment. His media officer, Noor Elahi, however rejected the notion that only people who paid or had strong political backing were given gas connections. He added that funds for provision of gas to Bhara Kahu had been released and all houses in the area will have access to natural gas by February 2011.

Rehan Sarwar, General Manager Sales at SNGPL, said the gas pipelines are being laid according to the directives from the Prime Minister’s House.

“We do not have any authority to lay down the gas pipelines according to our own choice,” he said. The project, he added, was huge and will take time. “Gas connections will eventually be available to every house in the area.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2010.