KARACHI: After heavy rains wreaked havoc on Karachi’s roads and growing public outrage over their dilapidated condition, the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has finally responded releasing official data on payments made for road cutting and restoration.

According to the SSGC, from July 2024 to June 2025, a total of Rs11.09 billion was paid to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and various Town Municipal Corporations (TMCs) for road cutting and subsequent repair work.

SSGC data shows: the highest payments were made in North Karachi and North Nazimabad, amounting to Rs3.55 billion while Model Colony TMC received the second highest amount, Rs2.10 billion.

Other payments included: Lyari TMC: Rs1 billion, Jinnah TMC: Rs7.3 million, Malir TMC: Rs6.2 million, Chensar and Saddar TMCs: Rs260 million each and Landhi TMC: Rs210 million.  KMC itself was paid Rs490 million, Gulshan TMC received the lowest payment: just Rs227,000.

Despite the staggering Rs11 billion paid for restoration work, the SSGC remained silent on the continued poor condition of the city’s roads — raising serious concerns.

Notably, SSGC never issued a protest letter to any TMC for failing to repair roads. Questions are also being raised within the company over why no legal agreements were made with the TMCs before such large sums were disbursed, and why no assurance was secured to ensure timely road restoration post-payment.

Now, under intense public pressure following the recent rains, SSGC’s dormant administration has finally taken notice. The company is reportedly preparing to send protest letters to KMC and relevant TMCs.

Sources within the SSGC revealed internal concerns: “If we protest more than KMC or the TMCs, they might create hurdles for us in getting road-cutting permissions in the future.”