Pipeline blast suspends gas supply to Punjab

QUETTA - Gas supply to the main Sui purification plant from the Peer Koh gas field was disrupted when militants blew up a gas pipeline in Dera Bugti on Sunday.
Police sources confirming the incident, said the militants had planted explosive device under the 16-inch-diameter pipeline supplying gas to the main purification plant from Peer Koh gas field. The explosive device went off with big bang damaging around ten feet of pipeline and suspending gas supply to the main Sui purification plant.
However, the PPL sources said that the repair work of the damaged pipeline had been started and gas supply to Sui purification plant would be restored soon. Police have registered a case against unknown miscreants and started investigation.
PPI adds: The main pipeline supplying gas to Punjab from Sui exploded near Ubauro.
The gas supply to various cities and towns of Punjab including Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore has been suspended after the incident.
The employees of Sui Northern Gas Company started repair work of the 18-inch diameter gas pipeline near village Punho Khan Mazari.
A heavy contingent of Rangers has been deployed at the incident site, while the samples of broken pipeline were sent for laboratory test.
The security sources said that gas pipeline has been blown up and it is a subversive act. The company, however, said that the pipeline damaged due to use of substandard material and gas leakage. It said that pipeline would be repaired within 12 hours.
It may be noted that it is the second incident of gas pipeline explosion in the area.