Karachi court orders SSGC to pay Rs30m over fatal explosion

Karachi – (Web Desk) – A Karachi court has held Sui Southern Gas Company responsible for the deaths of two people. The incident happened in October 2022. A gas line exploded inside a home in Orangi Town’s Millat Colony. The victims were the parents of a young woman named Aliza.

Judge Salman Amjad Siddiqui heard the case and ruled in Aliza’s favor. He ordered SSGC to pay Rs30 million to her family. The company has one month to make the payment.

Aliza’s lawyer, Advocate Usman Farooq, said the family had complained about the gas leak many times before the explosion. But SSGC never fixed the problem. That delay cost two lives.

The court agreed that SSGC was careless in maintaining the gas lines. Aliza had originally asked for Rs42.8 million in damages. The court awarded Rs30 million in the final verdict.

However, the counsel representing SSGC denied the claims, stating that there was no gas leakage from the company’s line. The defence further argued that the claimant was not a registered consumer of SSGC and that the compensation claim was not admissible.

The court, however, noted that an SSGC witness had accepted the gas cable presented by the plaintiff as authentic evidence. It ruled that the explosion occurred due to gas leakage and that the company failed to take preventive measures.

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In its observations, the court stated that a gas distribution company is legally bound to ensure the safety of citizens’ lives and property, adding that negligence in fulfilling this responsibility led to serious consequences in the case.

While accepting the plaintiff’s claim for damages filed under the Fatal Accidents Act, the court ordered SSGC to compensate the plaintiff Rs 15 million for each victim, directing the gas utility company to pay Rs30 million within the stipulated time.