Residents suffer due to severe gas shortage in Mansehra

MANSEHRA: The residents of various areas in the city and its suburbs have been facing severe natural gas supply for the last many weeks.

“Since the government suspended the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar, our supply is blocked as gas quota has been diverted to other parts of the country,” Shafi Muhammad, a resident of Thakara locality, told reporters here on Tuesday.

Flanked by a group of domestic consumers from different parts of the city and its suburbs, he said that they had approached the company concerned for remedial measures many times but to no avail. “A month has passed since our gas supply was suspended and we have adversely been suffering the brunt of it,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Masood Ahmad said that Mohallah Saidabad, Muslim Town, Mohallah Gulababad, Madni Masjid and their adjoining localities were without the gas supply for the last one-month.

He maintained that gas pressure in the city and its suburbs was also drastically reduced and the people had no other option but to use firewood.

“If the government doesn’t restore our gas supply within a couple of days, we will block the Karakoram Highway to all sorts of traffic in protest,” Masood Ahmad.

Hashim Khan, the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Company’s head in Mansehra when contacted, said that the main supply line of 12 inches diameter was damaged during the rains and gas supply was diverted to an alternative eight inches-supply line, which had affected supply.

“The shortage of liquefied natural gas also put an extra pressure on our supply system, which also reduced the gas pressure,” he said.