SSGC has intensified its efforts against natural gas theft by conducting raids in those localities of its franchise areas where residents are involved in direct use of gas. On April 27, 2015, the Customer Relations Department’s Task Force undertook a raid in Yusuf Goth located in National Highway, Karachi. The Task Force’s disconnection efforts got a major boost with the presence of the police contingent from the recently launched SSGC Police Station.
During the operation, the Task Force dismantled more than 1,000 illegal connections by the virtue of which the residents were using un-metered gas directly. The team acted promptly to seal all service lines and summarily confiscated all the pipelines and accessories being used in the theft. The Police Force arrested five culprits on the spot and lodged FIRs against them.
It has been estimated that about 45.9 million cubic feet gas was being stolen per annum, which in monetary terms amount to Rs. 12 million.
Gas theft is one of the primary causes of Unaccounted-for-Gas (UFG), a phenomenon that has severely affected SSGC’s financial bottom-line. While the Company’s Customer Relations and Surveillance and Monitoring Departments have been regularly conducting raids against miscreants involved in domestic and commercial thefts, their efforts have been further given impetus with the establishment of a dedicated Police Station that will be responsible for conducting raids against gas thieves, lodging FIRs, collecting evidence and presenting challans to the courts.