Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) intensified its efforts to combat gas theft in the Lower Dir district on Monday. According to details, SNGPL dismantled a 4,500-meter illegal pipeline and disconnected 440 unauthorized connections linked to it. Sources told a national daily that a special team under the leadership of SNGPL regional manager Akif Ahmad Noor identified the pipeline supplying gas to several villages, including Damamo, Awlia Banda, Bandagai, Tangi, Nakhtaro, Koto, and Shagai. The team also filed cases against the gas thieves in multiple police stations. Officials stated that a total of 36 million cubic feet of illegal gas was being stolen, resulting in significant losses to the national revenue. They added that the crackdown on gas theft would continue. Meanwhile, addressing reporters in Timergara, several gas consumers voiced complaints about receiving exorbitant bills from SNGPL last month. They highlighted their shift to LPG cylinders instead of piped gas due to their inability to afford the inflated bills. According to an LPG distributor, gas consumers were opting to purchase cylinders. He added that LPG was being sold at Rs. 320 per kilogram, and its sales had increased during the last week. Source: ProPakistani