ISLAMABAD: The Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has intensified its crackdown on gas thieves across its franchise areas of Sindh and Balochistan.

The company’s Counter Gas Theft Operations (CGTO) Wing along with the Recovery Department disconnected illegal connections of customers who were stealing gas directly through domestic meters for commercial activities.

Raids were conducted in old Karachi city areas of Soldier Bazaar, Ranchore Line, and Ram Swamy, where five meters were found suspected tampered and three were found Passing Unregistered Gas (PUG) where gas was being used.

A joint raid was conducted by Customer Relations Department (CRD) team in Karachi’s Gul Hasan Town near old Sabzi Mandi where gas was illegally supplied to 2,500 houses from SSGC’s 63 mm PE line through three tapping points. CRD’s raiding team disconnected all connections. Theft volume was estimated at 2,400,000 cms per year (Rs75,000,000).

The CRD team also cracked down on Shanti Nagar (Sindhi Para) area in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi where residents were being supplied gas through rubber pipes to eight houses. Theft volume in this case was estimated at 7,680 cms per year (Rs240,000).

In Hyderabad, two separate domestic cases of theft were unravelled by CRD in Umrani Mohalla and Haala Naka where residents had installed theft clamps of 6” dia. feeder main for supplying gas to 10 houses and clamps of 2” dia. feeder main for illegal gas supply to 15 houses, respectively. Clamps were summarily removed by the raiding teams in a quick action.

The SSGC pursues its mission to curb this menace of gas theft which is one of the main causes behind Unaccounted-for-Gas (UFG) or line losses that affect gas utilities’ financial bottom line.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024