Islamabad: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s decision last year to increase gas tariffs by around 143 per cent is taking its toll on citizens due to a drop in temperature to almost zero.

The chill means people have to keep their water heaters and other devices switched on, resulting in inflated bills. Irate consumers are requesting authorities to resolve the issue of sky-high bills.

However, there is no solution in sight. The complaint offices and helplines of gas companies say that due to a hike in gas prices their bills have been ‘revised’.

Speaking to Gulf News at the Sui-Northern Gas Private Limited (SNGPL) local complaint centre, a number of consumers complained that their gas bills had disrupted their monthly budget. Some had to choose between sending their children to school, eating bread or spend all their money on paying gas bills.

The PTI government has turned out to be nightmare for middle class families as the gas rates have been multiplied two to three times putting general consumers under huge financial burden, said citizen Hasan Zawar. His bill in a year’s time — from January 2018 to January 2019 — had jumped from Rs14,000 (Dh367) to Rs36,000. Additionally, the units consumed by Hasan in December 2018 are less than the units consumed in December 2017.

Sanaullah, an internal officer at the SNGPL complaint centre, said he and his colleagues were receiving hundreds of consumers daily “who arrive at our centre with complaints of hiked bills.”

“They ask us to go along with them to their houses and check their metres and devices if it was a leakage problem or what and we tell them the problem is not with their gas metres or devices, the problem is with the government that has revised the gas tariffs not by 10 or 20 per cent but by 143 per cent,” said a visibly irritated Sanaullah, who has to deal with similar complaints of inflated bills daily.

One consumer Noman said he paid Rs2,200 for November but for the month of December 2018 he received a bill of Rs30,000. “Is this the promise Imran Khan had made with the masses during the election campaign that of controlling the prices and giving relief to the poor and the needy?” Noman asked.

It was in September 2018 when the PTI government approved up to 143 per cent increase in natural gas tariff with immediate effect that with a financial impact of about Rs116 billion.

According to Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, the decision to increase gas rates for all consumer categories had to be taken because the PML-N government had caused a huge loss to this sector. The two gas companies, Sui-Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and SNGPL, were operating in profit when the PML-N assumed power in 2013. However after five years of its tenure, it left behind a deficit of Rs152 billion.

He said it was a difficult decision for the new government in view of higher gas purchase price, which could not be sold cheaper.