Karachi (Pakistan)

Residents across Karachi are facing hardship due to unannounced gas outages that have disrupted daily life, particularly during peak meal preparation hours, triggering public anger and political criticism, as reported by Dawn.

The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has been accused by citizens of failing to maintain its claimed supply schedule of uninterrupted gas availability from early morning (6 am) to night (10:30 pm). Over the past two weeks, residents have reported frequent and unannounced load-shedding, forcing households to seek alternative cooking arrangements, as reported by Dawn.

The disruption has led to overcrowding at restaurants and eateries, including roadside snack vendors and LPG stations across the city, with long queues forming for basic food items such as roti and naan. Many households reported significant difficulty in preparing meals, with women bearing the brunt of the shortages.

Students preparing for ongoing examinations have also been affected, with gas shortages adding to stress amid power and water supply issues in several neighbourhoods. In multiple areas, LPG stock shortages further worsened the situation, leaving residents with few alternatives.

As people struggled for alternatives, long queues formed at LPG stations and shops as refilling took considerable time. At many shops, even LPG was not available, adding to people's difficulties.

According to Dawn, Muhammad Akhtar, a resident of Sultanabad, who was waiting at an LPG shop, said, "I waited for half an hour, only to be told that the gas would arrive late." He asked, "It's frustrating. Can't the gas utility manage their schedules properly so we can prepare ourselves?"

As the day went on, the frustration of already gas-starved people turned to anger, with many taking to social media to vent their grievances against the gas utility company, the Dawn reported.

In a statement issued on Monday, the SSGC claimed that "proper gas supply was ensured throughout the meal times, i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner" as line packs --the total volume of gas contained within the system -- were quite healthy and gas pressures being on optimal capacity.

"Even with the shortage of RLNG, SSGC is also ensuring optimal gas supply to the power sector and the fertiliser sector for food security. Therefore, the company is trying to manage the available resources in a balanced manner so that the needs of all the sectors are met," it said.

It said it has not received any "area-wide complaints today".

Several political parties vehemently criticised the gas utility for failing to ensure an uninterrupted supply during the three meal timings.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan's Ali Khurshidi, who is the opposition leader in the Sindh assembly, said that the gas utility was adding hardships to the already inflation-hit people. "It is the responsibility of the SSGC to ensure supply as per the schedule. The persistent crisis speaks volumes about the gas utility's inefficiency," he said as reported by Dawn.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Karachi Division Information Secretary and Spokesperson Fauzia Siddiqui strongly criticised the worsening gas load-shedding, inflated utility bills and persistent water and electricity shortages in the metropolis, terming them clear evidence of "gross incompetence and anti-people policies" of the Sindh government.

In a statement, according to Dawn, she said Karachi is the country's economic backbone and contributes nearly 65 per cent of national revenue, yet has been deprived of necessities.

"Citizens were first denied water and continue to struggle for every drop. This was followed by prolonged electricity outages, which persist, and now gas load-shedding has made daily life unbearable," she added

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Siddiqui said the ongoing crises were a reflection of the government's failure to ensure essential services in the country's largest city. "Despite generating the bulk of Pakistan's revenue, Karachi's residents are left to suffer without access to basic utilities," she noted.

According to Dawn, the PTI spokesperson demanded immediate and uninterrupted supply of gas, water, and electricity to residents, along with urgent measures for infrastructure rehabilitation to alleviate the hardships faced by citizens.