Non-availability of gas irks residents

ISLAMABAD: The residents of Rawalpindi are facing gas loadshedding for hours, which has severely disrupted their routine lives.

Students have to leave for school without breakfast and same is the case for their parents leaving for work in the absence of natural gas or due to its low pressure.

The entire city is facing the gas shortage. However, the hard hit areas are Banni Chock, Airport Society, Kohati Bazar and Waris Khan. The residents of these areas in large number protested the gas load management on Murree Road a couple of days ago, which turned violent. The demonstrators pelted vehicles with stones and causing huge traffic jam.

Arshad Shafiq, an employee a private company in Islamabad who lives in Rawalpindi, said his routine life has been disturbed due to low gas pressure. "I have to arrange breakfast for the whole family from hotel due to non-availability of gas in early hours. That is why I reach my office late and my boss has already warned me many times on this count," he said.

Farhat Nasim, mother of three children, said she had not cooked any food for the last four days due to non-availablity of gas. She requested the authorities concerned to look into the matter and resolve the issue on priority.

An official of SNGPL (Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd.) said that said that the reason for low gas pressure was its increasing demand and less supply. He requested the general public to avoid using geysers and heaters.