As domestic consumers face severe hardships due to shortage of gas supply, their sufferings are compounded by illegal use of compressors which cause low gas pressures for everyone in the vicinity.
Low gas pressures hit most localities of the city as households were unable to even cook food on the gas.
“We could not even prepare breakfast for school-going children owing to low gas pressure,” said Ambreen Dawood, a housewife living in Sabzazaar Scheme.
She pointed out that gadgets were being used to suck gas from the pipelines resulting in low gas pressures for the rest of the locality.
Residents of Samanabad, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Sanda, Dharampura, Bhaati Gate, Badami Bagh, Islampura, Rehmanpura, Kasur Pura, Ghaziabad etc were of the view that there was no excuse not to check the rising usage of gas compressors by domestic consumers who resort to this unethical and illegal practice.
Several residents said that they used Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) as an alternative but it was expensive and not affordable.
They urged the local authorities to take action against the persons that were involved in selling these compressors in open markets.
Touqir Ahmed, a seller of old refrigerator and air-conditioner compressors at Bilal Ganj market pointed out that for tandoors, bakeries and restaurants, relatively high gas pressure was required, and an air conditioner compressor or a gas pump could do the job for the matter. He said that the new technique was safe, as there was no gas compression or storage involved in it and the gadgets were used only to boost pressure by sucking gas from the pipelines.
SNGPL spokesman said that a team had been formed to visit the affected areas. He, however, urged the consumers to cooperate in detecting the illegal use of compressors.
He said that the issue was temporary and gas pressure would improve as temperatures go up in the coming months.
SNGPL Task Force Head Choudhry Sharafat Ali claimed that a crackdown had already been launched against those who pilfered and sucked gas by using compressors and deprived others of their due share.