Karachi: Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has revealed some surprising information to the public. From July 2024 to June 2025, in every area of Karachi where roads were dug up for the repair or replacement of gas pipelines, the respective towns were not allocated just crores, but billions of rupees for road restoration.
Amid growing public anger over Karachi’s crumbling roads, the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has responded to criticism, clarifying that it is not responsible for the city’s deteriorating infrastructure. The gas utility revealed that it paid over Rs11.9 billion to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and various Town Municipal Corporations (TMCs) between July 2024 and June 2025 for road-cutting and subsequent rehabilitation work.
Facing heat from political figures and citizen groups accusing the company of damaging roads during gas pipeline installations and abandoning them unrepaired, SSGC officials said all mandatory charges were paid in a timely and transparent manner.
“It is the legal responsibility of the metropolitan and town corporations to restore the roads using the road-cutting charges we pay them,” a senior SSGC official stated.
According to internal documents, the largest share of the funds—**Rs3.55 billion**—was disbursed to **TMC North Karachi and TMC North Nazimabad**. **TMC Model Colony** received **Rs2.10 billion**, while **TMC Lyari** was allocated **Rs1 billion**. Other notable payments included **Rs490 million** to **KMC**, **Rs260 million** each to **TMC Saddar** and **TMC Chensar**, **Rs210 million** to **TMC Landhi**, and **Rs227,000** to **TMC Gulshan**.
Despite these hefty payouts, roads across the city remain riddled with potholes, unfinished patches, and stagnant water — particularly after the recent monsoon rains — prompting widespread frustration among commuters and residents.
What’s more troubling is that SSGC released these billions without signing any binding agreements with the municipal bodies to ensure road rehabilitation.
“Not a single protest letter was issued to any TMC, nor was any formal commitment secured before the disbursements,” admitted another SSGC insider.
Now, under increasing pressure from the public and media, the gas utility has initiated the process of drafting protest letters to KMC and the relevant TMCs, seeking explanations for the unfulfilled road repairs.
However, SSGC officials remain cautious about escalating the issue.
“We can’t go too hard against the municipalities,” said a source within the company. “If we push too aggressively, we may risk losing future road-cutting permissions — which are essential for our operations.”
For now, Karachi’s broken streets stand as a stark reminder of inter-agency miscoordination, bureaucratic negligence, and a lack of accountability — while citizens continue to suffer the consequences.
