Monday, February 16, 2009
By Jawwad Rizvi
LAHORE: RESIDENTS in southern Lahore faced problems after unannounced loadshedding of gas by the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) for over 12 hours on Sunday.The gas supply to Green Town, Township, Model Town, Link Road, Model Town, Akbar Chowk, Faisal Town, Johar Town, Kot Lakhpath and other adjacent areas was suspended by the SNGPL for maintenance. The gas supply to the said areas was suspended at 11am and it was not restored till the filing of the report. The SNGPL officials were only telling people that gas supply would be restored at midnight. When The News called the helpline, Saleem, an official, said the gas supply was suspended at 12pm noon and it would be restored at midnight. People of the abovementioned localities faced numerous problems as due to Sunday, they got up late and due to gas outage, they were unable to prepare breakfast. They rushed to the hotels and restaurants of the areas but they were also closed due to non-availability of gas. They had to go to the areas like Iqbal Town and other localities for purchasing food. Following the suspension of gas supply, bakeries did a roaring business as they were the only option left for people who purchased snacks and other bakery items to have their breakfast. Some of them even went to their relatives’ houses as guests to evade the problem. Amer Baig, a resident of XI-Block, Township, said he was shocked to experience the loadshedding of gas without a prior notice. He said he moved to his in-laws in the cantonment area after he was informed that gas supply would not be restored till midnight. Imran Ahmed, a resident of Green Town, said the gas closure had created huge troubles for him. “I had invited my friends in a party at my residence but I had to cancel it,” he said.On the other hand, the SNGPL officials claimed that they had announced the gas closure some two days back in the national print and electronic media. SNGPL Regional Manager Arif Hameed said the company had also made announcements in the area through loudspeakers, besides giving intimation advertisements in the media. He further said the company had been shifting main supply line of the area and it had had intimated the company high-ups about the suspension of gas supply. He said there was no gas shortage in the Lahore region and Sunday’s gas suspension was just for maintenance work.
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