The gas crisis in the country is deepening as there are fears that after Sindh gas supply to the industrial units of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) will also be stopped for a period of 10 days, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Monday.

On the other hand, there is a hearing of a petition at Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), seeking hike in the prices of SSGC gas.

The gas crisis in Sindh has further worsened as now the CNG stations in the province, which were initially going to open tomorrow (Tuesday, June 29), will now remain closed till July 9 due to the stoppage of gas supply.

These stations were initially due to open after a 176-hour break, but now the latest situation has prompted the authorities to close them for 440 hours.

The situation in Sindh industries is no different either as due to the non-supply of gas industrialists are finding it quite hard to place export orders.

Setting off alarm bells ringing, Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, a well-known industrialist, says he fears if the same situation persists, industrial units may close down for good. “Sindh is the largest gas-producing province of Pakistan, and its share in the gas production is guaranteed in the constitution,” he said, and added, “Industries used to be a priority for past governments. But sadly, same is not the case with the present government.”

Meanwhile, admitting that there is gas loadshedding in different parts of Karachi, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) MD Imran Maniar has told media that gas supply remains disconnected in most loss-incurring areas of the city from 11 PM at night till 6 AM in the morning. “The areas, where there are more incidents of gas theft and gas leakage, are the worst-affected,” he elaborated.

He said just like Karachi-Electric (K-Electric) resorted to loadshedding in the areas where there were more incidents of electricity theft, SSGC planned to do the same.

And when a reporter asked him whether any notice was issued to intimate people about gravity of the situation, he replied it was not in his knowledge.

The situation on the electricity front is also quite worrying as 3, 000 megawatts of electricity is out of the system now as seven power producing units of Tarbela Dam have ceased to function.

Reported by Habib Khan and Ashraf Khan