Suij Gas Bills’ Cruel Bills Have Made People Scream; Bills of Rs 18,000 on 2 Units Are Proof of Government Apathy

QUETTA (Daily Qudrat Quetta) — Complaints are surfacing from various areas of Quetta about citizens receiving extraordinary and hefty Suij Gas bills. According to citizens, in some cases bills of thousands of rupees were sent despite extremely low gas usage, while the bills of numerous consumers have exceeded Rs 17,000 and Rs 18,000. Among the bills surfacing from citizens, there are complaints of approximately Rs 18,000 on just 2 units of usage in some cases, more than Rs 18,000 on 50 units in others, and more than Rs 18,000 even on 65 units of usage in others. Similarly, some consumers say that despite very low gas usage, their bills reached thousands of rupees. The question is: how can an ordinary citizen pay such hefty bills? On one hand, inflation, unemployment, and economic hardship have made people’s lives miserable; on the other hand, the extraordinary increase in gas bills has further increased the difficulties of citizens. For the common man, meeting household expenses is already difficult, and in such a situation, bills of thousands of rupees are causing severe distress to the people. We strongly appeal to the Chief Minister of Balochistan, the Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court, the federal government, and all relevant senior authorities and institutions to take immediate notice of these hefty gas bills received in various areas of Quetta. We particularly demand that Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), the Ministry of Energy, the Petroleum Division, and relevant inspection and complaints institutions conduct a transparent and impartial investigation into this matter. Our key demands are: immediate scrutiny of the bills of Rs 17,000, Rs 18,000, and above received in various areas of Quetta; a complete audit of the readings, tariff, fixed charges, taxes, and other heads recorded in the bills of low gas usage consumers; immediate correction of bills and provision of relief to consumers wherever wrong readings, wrong calculations, or incorrect charges are proven; inspection and inquiry under the supervision of relevant authorities to determine the reasons for such hefty bills being sent; creation of an effective system to redress citizens’ complaints and strict action according to law upon proven responsibility. For God’s sake, feel the difficulties of the people. In this era of unemployment, inflation, and hardship, do not burden citizens with such a financial load that it is impossible for them to bear. If the bills are correct, then all their heads and calculations should be made clear to the people, and if there is any error or irregularity anywhere, it should be immediately rectified. We demand that the Chief Minister of Balochistan, the Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court, and all relevant institutions take the strictest and earliest possible legal action on this matter so that the citizens of Quetta can get justice and relief. Let the voice of the people be heard, transparent investigations into hefty gas bills be conducted, and citizens be given their legitimate right!