Fired up without any gas

Tempers are rising across Punjab over the lack of gas reaching homes and industries. In some cases, it seems we have reverted back to the Stone Ages. People desperate to make a meal collect wood to light outdoor fires. In factories, efforts are being made to run machinery manually.

The impact of the acute gas shortage in Punjab has been dramatic. The Punjab government claims a conspiracy has been hatched. Its contention is that the province is being deliberately deprived of gas in order to handicap the ruling set-up. People have been staging angry protests in Lahore and other cities. In some towns, there has been no gas for up to six days. Life has moved towards the impossible. Sui Northern Gas tells us the shortage in Punjab is caused by the fact that, constitutionally, the requirement is that gas producing areas be given priority in supply. This does not appear to be a strictly accurate account of events. In many parts of Balochistan there is no piped gas at all. The demands of people in this respect have been ignored for decades.

To make matters worse, the prices of gas have risen steeply over the last year. People resent handing over large sums of money for a utility they never receive.  Apart from inconvenience, the energy shortage has crippled production. Smaller units have suffered immensely. In Faisalabad, we have heard of thousands of layoffs from the power-loom sector. This means more human misery. It also means a huge loss in economic terms. As the business community in Faisalabad has pointed out, the textile sector comprises a vital component of Pakistan's exports. Losses can simply not be sustained. People are already out on the streets . The explanations by Sui Northern Gas carry no weight. Solutions have to be found before the energy crisis creates even more havoc.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2011.