Rawalpindi [Pakistan]: Rawalpindi is going through a severe gas crisis, with supply disruptions reported in 70 per cent of the city's areas as the mercury has dropped, ARY News reported on Wednesday.
As per ARY News, the residents of Chaklala Scheme III, Gulistan Colony, Wilayat Homes, Eidgah Mohalla, Jamia Masjid Road, Dhoke Hassu, Dhoke Kashmirian, Sadiqabad Khurram Colony, Rawalpindi Cantonment, Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, and Dhoke Kala Khan are unable to prepare meals and are struggling to manage daily tasks due to the lack of gas supply.
The crisis forced tandoors to close in many neighborhoods.
The gas crisis has distressed parents, who are forced to send their children to school without breakfast, as per ARY News.
Residents of Quetta took to the streets in protest against gas shortages amid the cold. The protesters chanted slogans against the administration. This demonstration followed a similar protest in Mastung, where locals had blocked the Quetta-Karachi National Highway to express their frustration over the lack of gas and electricity, The Balochistan Post reported.
In Quetta, residents, including those on Spinny Road, have been facing extended gas load-shedding, severely disrupting daily life. Protesters on Spinny Road blocked the street to express their frustration over how the gas shortage has halted essential household activities, such as cooking and heating, amid the harsh winter conditions, as reported by The Balochistan Post.
In Mastung, protesters earlier voiced their anger over having to pay inflated utility bills on time while being denied essential services like gas and electricity. Their sit-in caused a traffic standstill on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway.
According to the report, frequent protests demanding basic services like water, electricity, and gas have become common in Balochistan. Demonstrators have accused the government of neglecting their needs, arguing that people are being forced to live in "stone-age conditions."
The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) prepared a new gas supply plan for the winters, ARY News reported on November 12.
The updated plan aimed at letting consumers schedule their cooking and daily activities. (ANI)