Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has extended its ban on new domestic gas connections indefinitely, as disrupted RLNG supplies widen the gas shortfall at the start of winter.
Sources told ProPakistani that other connections, including commercial ones for tandoors and hotels, have also been stopped from this month. Thousands of consumers are still without connections despite paying the urgent fee.
Why the Ban Has Been Extended
Sources said the supply of regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) has been disrupted and the shortfall in the existing system has grown. With winter setting in, gas demand has risen sharply, making it difficult to supply even existing domestic consumers.
SNGPL officials said the ban was imposed by the Ministry of Petroleum, and connections are only likely to be restored once the war between Iran and the US stops.
The government had first halted new gas connections in April over the same RLNG disruption.
What This Means for You
For households without piped gas, LPG is the main alternative, and it is getting costlier. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has set the official price of an 11.8-kg domestic cylinder at Rs. 3,470.09 for November, up Rs. 173.86 from October.
However, LPG is reportedly selling at around Rs. 600 per kg in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and other parts of the country. At that rate, a cylinder costs about Rs. 7,080, roughly Rs. 3,610 above the official price.
A family using two cylinders a month in winter would pay around Rs. 14,160 at market rates, compared with Rs. 6,940 at the official price. The government is already reviewing LPG policy as prices climb.
Consumers who have paid the urgent fee have no date for their connections, as restoration depends on gas supplies improving.
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