KARACHI(National Times)- The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has failed to ensure supply even during meal hours three times a day, leaving people across Karachi helpless and fuming amid unannounced gas cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The SSGC claimed that it was providing gas to domestic consumers from 6am to 10:30pm without any interruption. However, over the past two weeks, Karachiites have been complaining about unannounced loadshedding in their localities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The disruption led to a frenzy, with many rushing out to eateries and LPG stations in search of alternative cooking options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Restaurants and eateries, including roadside snack vendors, were seen crowded in several parts of the city with long queues, mostly for roti and naan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was chaotic,\u201d said Rehan Danish, a resident of Gulzar-i-Hijri. \u201cI had to rush back home from my office in Saddar, buying food for my children for lunch after my wife told me that our kitchen was shut down due to the unannounced gas suspension,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The worst affected were the household women who bore the brunt of the outage, struggling with cooking meals for their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had planned a family dinner, but with no gas, everything was cancelled,\u201d said a housewife in Gulberg. \u201cI had to go out to buy food from a nearby restaurant. It was so inconvenient,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another woman, a resident of Shah Faisal Colony, said it was callous on the part of the gas utility to resort to unannounced gas cuts even during the few scheduled hours of supply three times a day. \u201cWhy doesn\u2019t the SSGC let people know about the gas cuts in advance, or do they just want to pile misery on their customers?\u201d asked the furious woman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Students also faced difficulties, especially those trying to study and prepare for the ongoing high school examinations. \u201cMy whole evening study time was compromised due to the gas outage as I had to fetch naans from a nearby restaurant where I waited in a queue for over 20 minutes for my turn,\u201d said Ali, a matric student living at Shah Faisal Colony. \u201cAnd to make it worse, the power went out too. It was a nightmare,\u201d he groaned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As people struggled for alternatives, long queues formed at LPG stations and shops as the refilling took considerable time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At many shops, even LPG was not available, adding to people\u2019s difficulties. \u201cI waited for half an hour, only to be told that the gas would arrive late,\u201d said Muhammad Akhtar, a resident of Sultanabad, who was waiting at an LPG shop. \u201cIt\u2019s frustrating. Can\u2019t the gas utility manage their schedules properly so we can prepare ourselves?\u201d, he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the day went on, the frustration of already gas-starved people turned to anger, with many taking to social media to vent their grievances against the gas utility company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement issued on Monday, the SSGC claimed that \u201cproper gas supply was ensured throughout the meal times i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner\u201d as line packs \u2014 the total volume of gas contained within the system \u2014 were quite healthy and gas pressures being on optimal capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven with the shortage of RLNG, SSGC is also ensuring optimal gas supply to the power sector and the fertilizer sector for food security. Therefore, the company is trying to manage the available resources in a balanced manner so that the needs of all the sectors are met,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It said it has not received any \u201carea wide complaints today\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Political parties criticise SSGC for failure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Political parties vehemently criticised the gas utility for failing to ensure an uninterrupted supply during the three meal timings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan\u2019s Ali Khurshidi, who is the opposition leader in the Sindh assembly, said that the gas utility was adding hardships to the already inflation-hit people. \u201cIt is the responsibility of the SSGC to ensure supply as per the schedule. The persistent crisis speaks volumes about the gas utility\u2019s inefficiency,\u201d he deplored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Karachi Division Information Secretary and Spokesperson Fauzia Siddiqui strongly criticised the worsening gas load-shedding, inflated utility bills and persistent water and electricity shortages in the metropolis, terming them clear evidence of \u201cgross incompetence and anti-people policies\u201d of the Sindh government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a statement, she said Karachi is the country\u2019s economic backbone and contributes nearly 65 per cent of national revenue, yet has been deprived of basic necessities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCitizens were first denied water and continue to struggle for every drop. This was followed by prolonged electricity outages, which still persist, and now gas load-shedding has made daily life unbearable,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ms Siddiqui said the ongoing crises were a stark reflection of the government\u2019s failure to ensure essential services in the country\u2019s largest city. \u201cDespite generating the bulk of Pakistan\u2019s revenue, Karachi\u2019s residents are left to suffer without access to basic utilities,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PTI spokesperson demanded immediate and uninterrupted supply of gas, water, and electricity to residents, along with urgent measures for infrastructure rehabilitation to alleviate the hardships faced by citizens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KARACHI(National Times)- The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has failed to ensure supply even during meal hours three times a day, leaving people across Karachi helpless and fuming amid unannounced gas cuts. The SSGC claimed that it was providing gas to domestic consumers from 6am to 10:30pm without any interruption. However, over the past two […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":124254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-124253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n