Sale of Chinese and locally manufactured ‘speeders’ or compressors increasing as several city areas are reeling from low gas pressure
With the city’s residents facing low gas pressure in winter months, the people are now resorting to the use of various contraptions that are designed to increase gas pressure, Pakistan Today has observed.
The city’s markets have been flooded with these gadgets, commonly known as ‘speeders’ or ‘compressors’, which are increasingly in common use, especially during load shedding hours.
The gadgets, however, produced both locally and in China are extremely dangerous and have been known to cause gas explosions. Once the gas gets accumulated in and around the gadget, very little has to go wrong before there is an explosion of the highly flammable gas.
But in addition to being dangerous for the household which uses one of these compressors, they can also cause low gas pressure in the entire neighbourhood.
Several domestic consumers are reporting low gas pressures as the speeders suck gas meant for the entire area.
The sale of gas compressors is on the rise in major markets of Bilal Ganj, Brandth Road and Hall Road.
Nauman Ahmed, a resident of Gulshan-e-Ravi told Pakistan Today that the people in his neighbourhood were using speeders to increase their gas pressure. He said his mother has to face problems while cooking food as speeders in the surrounding area suck their share of the gas.
“I did not install a speeder in my house because someone told me that the device may explode with slight neglect and could cause loss of precious lives,” Nauman said.
Tauqir Ahmed, a seller of old refrigerators and air-conditioner compressors at Bilal Ganj market pointed out that for tandoors, bakeries and eateries, relatively high gas pressure was required. He said that air conditioner compressor or a gas pump could do the job.
A wholesale dealer of compressors on Hall Road told Pakistan Today that he had sold a huge number of compressors during this season. He revealed that one had to light up an extra stove 24/7 and a slight neglect in this regard could lead to the compressor exploding because of extreme gas pressure.
“We all know that smoking is injurious to health but cigarettes are being sold out in the markets on a massive scale and same is the case with these compressors as it has become hard to live without them,” the wholesaler said.
Malik Umar, a resident of Shahdra, said that he used to get late while going to office because of extremely low gas pressure in the area. He said that he had purchased a speeder recently from Bilal Ganj as he could not afford to be late to office every day and that now his wife can make his breakfast in time.
“It is the responsibility of the government to provide basic necessities to its citizens and when it fails to provide these facilities, citizens resort to such means,” Malik explained.
These compressors and speeders are available in the market ranging from Rs 1,500 to 2,500 depending upon their quality. They are being mass-produced in Gujranwala.
An official at Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) told Pakistan Today that action against the offenders is being taken on daily basis and a 24/7 helpline has been set up for the public at large. He said that any citizen can record a complaint at 1199 and the gas company’s teams take prompt action against the offenders.
He said that the company is aware of the problem and a team has been formed to inspect the affected localities. He urged the consumers to cooperate in detecting illegal use of refrigerator compressors.
SNGPL Task Force Head Choudhry Sharafat Ali claimed that a crackdown has already started against those who steal gas through the compressors depriving others of their due share. He said that the task force had disconnected a number of commercial and industrial gas connections on such irregularities.
