Protest against gas loadshedding in Multan

MULTAN: People on Saturday staged a demonstration against unscheduled gas loadshedding for domestic consumers in their respective areas.

The protesters led by Powerlooms Association and Mazdoor Workers Union president Muhammad Yousaf Ansari staged a demonstration on Hafiz Jamal Road and chanted slogans against the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) for making their life miserable during this cold weather. They also blocked the road to register their protest. The protestors criticised the SNGPL authorities for not paying attention on their repeated complaints and requests to the company. The protestors chanted slogans against unavailability of Sui gas for domestic consumers for the last three days under the pretext of Metro development work. “We have no gas to cook food for our children and the situation has completely disturbed our routine life”, said Muhammad Yousaf Ansari, a protester. Later, thee protest was joined by the residents of Manzoorabad, Chah Koneywala and Hafiz Jamal Road.

They also expressed their grievances on the unavailability of gas in their areas. They said that despite claims of zero loadshedding of natural gas for domestic consumers by the SNGPL authorities, gas loadshedding and low pressure had disturbed them. Although the supply of gas to industries and the CNG sector had been suspended, the SNGPL was still unable to meet requirements of its domestic consumers, they added. Haji Khalil Ansari of Powerloom Association said that this worst situation was creating health hazards for the people after taking substandard food from market while it had overburdened their kitchen budget. He urged the government to pay attention to resolve this issue. Haji Aslam of Powerloom Association said that the gas supply suspends at 6am daily and resumes at 11pm. “We have no option except protesting and blocking roads in the area because our complaints are not entertained properly. We send our children to school without breakfast and majority of families can’t even provide lunch because the gas supply remains suspended during the day”, he added. Our schoolchildren wash their faces with cold water early in the morning for going to school due to unavailability of gas, he maintained. “In Chowk Shaheedan Market, an empty 6kg cylinder is available at Rs 1,550 and 8kg at Rs 2,500, he added. It was impossible for the majority of people buying cylinders because of their poverty, he said. The protesters said that purchase of LPG cylinder was the only solution to the problem but the price of LPG in domestic market was higher than international market. The profiteers were selling substandard cylinders after manufacturers increased security fee, he added. He urged the government to launch a crackdown on the sellers of substandard gas cylinders to avoid any untoward incident.