ISLAMABAD - Leaving the domestic consumers at the mercy of available gas pressure, the government has ostensibly forced consumers to look at alternative fuels particularly LPG as low gas pressure and unscheduled outages might persist till March next year.
At present faced shortfall is more than 2bcf in the country to play with the miseries. Apparently, no one at helm of affairs has bothered to remove this anomaly that has perturbed domestic consumers. Succumbing to the pressure of influential industrial sector, priority formula for the distribution of gas has been violated by the concerned quarters so net result is long queues of consumers at the LPG filling points of the country only because of flawed initiatives coupled with the inefficiency of to cope with winter season, sources added.
Due to low gas pressure and unscheduled outages coupled with sudden inflation in the price of alternative fuels particularly LPG has further added woes and worries for a common citizen and in fact they even cannot complain against it. Consumers are forced to look for alternatives including LPG cylinders, and untreated coal, residents said, adding, that even the CNG consumers are perturbed only because of the divided gas pressure and almost half of filling points at every pump have become out of order because of insufficient gas pressure resultantly people have to wait for hours in long queues.
Further, the CNG pressure available to masses remains comparatively lesser than the demand they need to run their vehicles.   However, reportedly the president All-Pakistan CNG Stations Association Ghias Abdullah Paracha told this that the SNGPL provides low pressure of gas to CNG stations as well as domestic sector in twin cities to cater to the needs of industry.
“We have informed concerned authorities so many times about the low pressure but in vain”, he added. Despite series of public agitations, no remedial measures have been taken by the concerned quarters to reduce consumer’s woes.