ISLAMABAD: State-owned Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) blame the CNG stations for the shortage of gas to domestic consumers in northern Pakistan.

Despite the arrival of shipments carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar and injecting it into the supply system consumers continue to face an acute shortage of gas.

Gas shortage has become a norm in the Potohar region especially in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad forcing many residents to look out for alternatives such as burning their stoves in the cold weather.

People find wood and coal as the cheaper alternates because they can no longer afford to pay the prices of the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders.

Citizens wonder why even after the arrival of LNG in the supply system the shortage of gas could not be resolved.

“We closed down CNG stations to overcome the shortage of 50 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The demand and supply gap leads to the low pressure as the residents start switching on geysers and heaters in the cold weather” Chaudhry Zahoor the general manager of the SNGPL Rawalpindi region said.

He said the gas shortage in the twin cities was also caused by a technical problems in the oil field but the situation would gradually improve in the coming days.

The official said people should avoid using gas heaters and geysers. There is a need to create public awareness about the excessive use of gas heaters as they are harmful for health.

“Another reason for the low pressure is that consumers have installed compressors in the domestic units that suck gas from the main supply lines.” SNGPL had started taking action against consumers who use compressors illegally.

The official said only the district administration can take action against shopkeepers who sell compressors. “We can take action only against those who have installed compressors in our supply lines” he said.

However many people do not believe in the demand and supply gap as the cause of the problem and said the government was providing gas to the industry instead of the domestic consumers.

All Pakistan CNG Association leader Pervaiz Khattak said despite the closure of the CNG stations there was still a shortage of gas.

He termed it mismanagement by the gas supply company. He said bigwigs in the country managed to get gas for their industrial units and left the domestic consumers unattended.

Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Punjab north former general secretary Zahid Kazmi said instead of resolving the issue the Pakistan Muslim League-N government had increased the miseries of the citizens.

“In the last three years the government failed to resolve the energy crisis. Natural gas is being supplied to fertilizer sugar and textile industrial units owned by the ruling party industrialists.”

He said it was strange that instead of improving its mismanagement the SNGPL was asking people not to use geysers and heaters. In most of the urban areas people only use gas for cooking purposes.

He said the previous Pakistan People’s Party government was better than the PML-N government as it provided gas to the domestic units and closed the CNG stations and the industry.

PML-N former legislator Shakil Awan says that though the residents were facing the shortage of gas the government was trying to resolve the issue.

In Rawalpindi SNGPL had replaced old and narrow pipelines so that the consumers could get gas without any hurdle. New pipelines were laid in many areas to resolve the issue Awan added.

Internews