IHC set aside Govt's decision to suspend gas to CNG stations

06 Feb, 2014

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday set aside the decision of the Federal Government to suspend Compressed Natural Gas to the CNG stations in Potohar region for indefinite period.

A single member bench of IHC, comprising Justice Shoukat Aziz Siddiqui announced the decision and directed the government to supply natural gas to CNG stations in the Potohar region, including twin cities of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, three days a week.

The court also accepted all the pleas of petitioners and declared the decision of Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) void, observing that the ECC has no authority to decide the fate of CNG sector.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet under the chairmanship of former Federal Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh had approved the gas load management plan in which least priority were given to the CNG sector.

The court also ordered to government to take up the issue of CNG supply in Council of Common Interests (CCI) within 90 days which is the appropriate forum to decide the matter.

In December 2013, the government suspended gas supply to the compressed natural gas (CNG) stations in the Potohar region for three months, which was challenged in the IHC by the 77 CNG station owners.

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