RAWALPINDI: In a baffling case of apparent mismanagement, a resident of Dhamial, Rawalpindi was left stunned after receiving a gas bill totaling a staggering Rs12 million from the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL).
Raja Allah Ditta, a low-income citizen, visited the local SNGPL office to file a complaint, only to be told that the bill must be paid regardless of his circumstances. In a video message that quickly gained traction online, Raja explained that he had already been struggling to pay his dues for the past four months — and now found himself staring at a bill worth more than one crore rupees.
“I’m a poor man. I couldn’t afford the past few months’ bills, let alone something like this. How can they expect me to pay Rs12 million?” he said emotionally.
The extraordinary amount has triggered outrage on social media, where users have criticized the gas company for what appears to be an outrageous blunder.
In response, an SNGPL spokesperson confirmed that the matter has been taken seriously and an internal investigation is underway. Preliminary findings suggest the bill may have been generated due to a technical or clerical error.
“We are looking into the matter thoroughly. If it turns out to be a typo or system error — which seems likely — a corrected bill will be issued to the customer,” the spokesperson assured.
Until then, Raja Allah Ditta says he’s holding on to hope that common sense will prevail — and that he won’t be made to pay the price for a mistake he didn’t make.
