RAWALPINDI: Citizens of Rawalpindi have been facing acute shortage of gas for the last one week as stoves have gone off due to almost zero pressure. As a result, children and office goers are forced to go to schools and offices without breakfast.
The situation is particularly critical in middle class localities like Khayban-e-Sir Syed, Bangash Colony, Ratta and Sadiqabad where the house wives say that the supply has completely gone off after the opening of CNG stations.
While the SNGPL authorities say that the pressure is low in areas that are at the tail of the line but the residents say that there is no gas at all in the line what to speak of low pressure.
In interviews with this news agency, some house wives in these localities strongly criticised the government over its failure to meet the needs of the domestic consumer and by diverting the gas for commercial use like supply to industries and the CNG stations. They said the situation was not such desperate even during the last year of the PPP government which had atleast cut off the supply of gas to industries during three months of winter. They said now the government in order to please the business community has allowed the supply to industries, the worst sufferers are the domestic consumers.
They said while the leaders of political parties come to them for votes, they never turn up when the people are facing different types of problems like shortage of gas and water. They strongly protested the step motherly treatment being meted out to the middle and lower middle class areas while there is no shortage in Islamabad and posh localities of Rawalpindi.
Newly elected Counsellors of the areas have appealed the Prime Minister and Petroleum Minister to pay urgent attention and ensure supply of gas to Rawalpindi households other wise it would have a very negative impact on the standing of the PML-N. They fear that the PTI which suffered a humiliating defeat in the elections would exploit the situation to its advantage.
INP
