LAHORE: According to a report by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has failed to supply gas to consumers, particularly home consumer, during mealtimes in certain areas of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

The IB was tasked by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with investigating SNGPL’s claims that it supplies gas throughout its entire service region. An official told Dawn on Thursday that the SNGPL team briefed the premier at a meeting about how the consumers—primarily domestic ones—are receiving gas supply with good pressure.

According to the official, Mr Sharif instructed the IB authorities to investigate the SNGPL statements after the meeting.

According to the IB study, six locations in Islamabad—Kurri Road, Khanna Pul, Sadiqbad, Chaklala Scheme-3, Adyala Road, and Shaheen Town—were found to be without gas at mealtimes (6 am to 9 pm, 12 pm to 2 pm, and 6 pm to 9 pm).

According to the report, extremely low gas pressure was also seen during the aforementioned mealtimes in the areas of F-6, G-6, G-7, G-9, I-10, I-14, I-16, and E-8, as well as in Naseerabad/Rawalpindi, 26 No Chungi, Chaklala, Ghauri Town, Shakrial, Phase 7 to 9 (Bahria Town).

The 49 localities in the Lahore metropolitan city where gas is not available during mealtimes were included in the report about Punjab. There are nine such locations in Sargodha, five in Khushab, four in Mianwali, and eight in Gujranwala. The report identified 19 localities with no gas from 6am to 9pm in Gujrat, Hafizabad eight, Mandi Bahauddin 33, Sialkot 12, Chakwal 15 and Jhelum four.

Multan has five localities without gas from 6am to 9pm, and 48 localities with no gas during 12pm to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm. Khanewal has one site (Makhdoompur town city) having no gas in meal timings. It has 10 localities having no gas during 12pm to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm. Vehari has 12, 01 and 10 localities without gas during 6am to 9am, 12am to 2pm and 6pm to 9pm respectively. The report mentioned two localities having no gas in Dera Ghazi Khan from 6am to 9am. The district also has also no gas in 10 localities having no gas from 12am to 2pm and 6am to 9pm.

Muzaffargarh has 20 sites without gas from 6am to 9am and 12pm to 2pm and 11 areas from 6pm to 9pm. The districts of Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Okara and Rawalpindi have four, three, nine and 30 localities without gas. The gas supply is suspended in a couple of localities in the districts of Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan. However, the gas supply is available during meal hours in Lodhran, Attock, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Chiniot, Faisalabad and Narowal. The gas is also being supplied, but with low gas pressure in the areas of Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura and Kasur.

Low gas pressure was observed in Karak, Hangu, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Lower Dir, Swat, Mardan, Swabi, Peshawar, Nowshehra, Charsadda and DI Khan.

SNGPL Managing Director Ali J Hamdani said the company was providing gas to almost entire parts of its service areas. “The prime minister got checked by the IB that identified only three to four percent of the total service areas having such issues,” he explained.

Mr Hamdani said low gas pressure or no supply issues were due to development works such as laying, replacing gas pipelines, maintenance works etc.

Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2022