LHC refuses stay against three-day gas loadshedding

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday denied stay against three-day weekly loadshedding after Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) told the court that gas was already being supplied maximum than all other sectors.

The counsel of All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) objected the figures of supply and demand of gas produced by the SNGPL, however, the court asked him to file a separate petition to challenge the same.

The SNGPL submitted that the CNG filling station across the province was being given 87 per cent of its consumption, while all the other sectors were receiving only 64 per cent to meet their demand.

Opposing the petition of APCNGA, the SNGPL counsel pleaded that the association wanted to create its monopoly. He said the gas load was being allocated among all sectors keeping in view the priorities of each sector.

The court thoroughly studied the gas allocation chart for all sectors and refused to stay the three-day weekly gas loadshedding for CNG filling stations. The court observed that under the prevailing circumstances, all sectors should contribute its share for survival of the country.

The court dismissed the stay application of the CNG association, however, sought reply from Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on its main petition challenging the act of federal government/Economic Coordination Committee of implementing gas load management plan bypassing Ogra's lawful jurisdiction.

The association through its central chairman Ghiyas Abdullah Paracha submitted that the government had no jurisdiction to implement the gas loadshedding. He said not only public but families belonged to CNG business were facing great difficulties and financial loss. He prayed to the court to declare the impugned act as unconstitutional.