LAHORE, April 10: The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited on Thursday repaired two damaged gas pipelines near Ahmadpur Lambha and restored supplies to industrial and domestic consumers.

According to SNGPL authorities, recent blasts had cost the company Rs200 million in revenue loss during the last 48 hours. Consequential losses to the fertiliser and power sectors are in addition to that.

The company officials claimed that repair teams finished work by 5am on Thursday morning on the 24” diameter pipe and by 10am on 30” pipeline. Both pipelines were filled with gas and activated for normal supplies by 7am and 11am, respectively. Since it was a 13-mile-long stretch that had to be filled with gas, it took an hour to pack the system, instead of six as earlier feared.

They claimed to have restored supplies to fertiliser sector and general industry at 7am and power sector 4pm on Thursday.

The company had also asked for more paramilitary forces to extend their security up to Rahim Yar Khan. But they conceded that extra force would only be an ad hoc measure pending political solution to the crisis. Most of the company officials lamented the fact that no one has been arrested in blast-related sabotage during the last four months.

There have been four blasts causing the company over Rs500 million in the revenue loss. Another Rs50 million was spent on repair and Rs25 million in lost gas. Apart of the SNGPL, the industry also suffered what are known as consequential losses. Fertiliser and power sectors were totally closed and general industry suffered partial closures. The cumulative loss, though difficult to calculate, must have run into billions of rupees. But all this has failed to stir the government into action, they lamented.

The blasts, in addition to causing loss to the company, also signify lack of government writ in the area, which is more dangerous, they claim. All suspects of the current blast travelled almost 60 kilometres in their vehicles and must have crossed all security checkpoints on their route. That showed the kind of security apparatus placed in the area and its (in)effectiveness, they said.

They also resented the official attempt at what they called passing-the-buck attitude. Every time there is a blast, the government offers additional forces to man the area. But the forces have failed to protect the pipelines because the culprits could easily shift the target. Such an arrangement has also worked as a heavy drain on company’s finance. It has to pay more than Rs100,000 a day for monitoring the 18-mile-long track. Extra forces could place heavy burden on company’s financial resources without ensuring pipelines’ security, they claimed.

The SNGPL authorities, in spite of claims by the local police and people from the district government, said that it was a blast and nothing else. The SNGPL authorities are totally convinced of that. Precisely for this reason, they have favoured an independent investigation team to investigate the matter.