As part of the Company's continuing drive against gas theft, the Sui Southern Gas Company's (SSGC's) Surveillance and Monitoring Department (S&M) conducted raids for illegal usage of gas on two renowned hotels in Nazimabad No 2 area, namely Haji Saifullah Khan Bangash and Haji Munawar Khan Bangash hotels, where its proprietors were involved in direct use of gas.
The team also raided a mineral water plant located in a residential area in Nazimabad, which was also involved in direct gas use. In accordance with the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2011, applications submitted by the utility to the area police for lodging FIRs against these commercial concerns.
The hotels are frequently visited by a large population of the locality. Both the hotels have a long history of illegal gas usage, despite the fact that the Company had previously disconnected gas supply to Haji Saifullah Bangash hotel and Haji Munawar Khan Bangash hotel at least four times for using illegal underground connections, this popular eateries of the area kept on defying the law by using gas directly through the Company's main distribution line. It must be mentioned here that both the hotels owe the Company Rs 2.9 million and 2.2 million, respectively.
During the raid that S&M team conducted was accompanied by DSM (Distribution, System and Maintenance) section of Karachi Distribution, Sales, Billing, Legal and Corporate Communications personnel. Security was arranged by the local police and Frontier Constabulary to meet any resistance from the proprietors or local residents. On the same day, the team conducted another significant raid on a mineral water plant called Iqra Enterprises located in a residential area of Jalalabad in Nazimabad and discovered that its owners were using gas directly through SSGC's main distribution line at a regular pressure of 5 pounds per square inch.-PR