On Thursday, a civil court admitted two petitions filed by a girl seeking Rs. 94 million in damages from the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) for the death of her parents in an explosion caused by the gas leakage in Orangi Town. Muhammad Riazuddin and his wife, Hussan Ara, were killed, and their five children, Aliza, Ali Raza, Areeba, Anees, and Owais, were injured on October 31, 2022.
Aliza filed the lawsuit through her lawyer, Usman Farooq, seeking compensation for her parents’ deaths under the Fatal Accidents Act of 1855. The Senior Civil Judge’s office sent a notice to the respondant gas company, setting the hearing date for May 18th.
In her testimony, Aliza revealed that the family was asleep when her mother awoke to prepare dinner for her father, who had returned from work. A loud explosion happened as a result of gas leaking from a nearby pipeline, resulting in a fire that severely burned her family members. Her father and mother died the next day from burn wounds in a hospital.
Aliza claimed that the event occurred as a result of the gas company’s severe carelessness in the maintenance and repair of gas pipelines. She argued that the defendant was obligated by law to provide an appropriate gas supply and upkeep its infrastructure but failed to fulfill that responsibility and did not enforce the safety standards necessary to avoid such accidents.
Furthermore, Aliza claimed that the SSGC committed criminal negligence by failing to notice the damaged gas pipeline immediately, despite residents in the area complaining about gas leaks before the incident. As a result, she asked the court to order the SSGC to pay over Rs. 94 million in damages to the rightful heirs of the victims.
