KARACHI: Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has been accused of favoring commercial consumers, as hundreds of households in Federal B Area’s Block 14, Naseerabad, have remained without gas supply for over a month.
The affected residents have appealed to Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik to take immediate notice of the situation, restore the gas supply without further delay, and hold those responsible for the prolonged suspension accountable.
The residents said the prolonged suspension of gas supply has brought daily life to a standstill, making it impossible for families to cook meals at home. Many households, they said, have been forced to purchase food from hotels and restaurants three times a day despite soaring living costs, while several low-income families simply cannot afford the additional expense.
“Should we pay our electricity and gas bills or spend our entire income buying cooked food every day?” the residents asked in their appeal, adding that some families have been left with no option but to skip meals as their financial resources continue to shrink.
The residents alleged that despite repeatedly registering complaints through SSGC’s 1199 helpline, they received only assurances that the issue would be resolved within 24 to 48 hours. However, they claimed the gas supply was never restored.
According to the complainants, when they later checked the status of their complaints, they were informed that the cases had been marked as “resolved” and officially closed by technical teams, even though, they alleged, no technical staff had visited the area or contacted any of the complainants.
The residents argued that closing complaints without actually resolving the issue raises serious concerns over the transparency and credibility of SSGC’s complaint redressal mechanism and undermines public confidence in the utility’s customer service.
Calling the situation “unacceptable,” the residents urged Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik to order the immediate restoration of gas supply to Federal B Area, Block 14, Naseerabad and conduct an inquiry into the handling of consumer complaints.
They further demanded departmental action against officials allegedly responsible for closing complaints without resolving them, including the management of the Ayesha Manzil Customer Service Centre and the concerned technical staff, accusing them of failing to perform their duties while consumers continue to suffer.
The residents expressed hope that the petroleum minister would take urgent notice of the month-long disruption and direct SSGC to immediately restore gas supply, saying uninterrupted access to domestic gas is an essential public service and cannot be denied to ordinary households for such an extended period.