Failure to fix wellhead gas price: Ogra chief issued contempt notice

The Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi bench, has served a notice of contempt of court to the Chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) who is alleged to have failed to implement the court order to fix the wellhead gas price at Salesabil (Rodho) field, owned by Dewan Petroleum, despite lapse of five months.
Dewan Petroleum had filed a cased against Ogra Chairman Tauqeer Sadiq for not implementing orders of the court to fix wellhead gas price at Salesabil (Rodho). The Court under order W.P.N.3708/2009 dated 14.07.2010 directed the respondents No 1 (Ogra Chairman) and 2 (Member Finance Mir Kamal Khan Marri) ie Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources and Directorate General of Gas, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources to fix the wellhead price of gas at Salesabil (Rodho) at the earliest.
The court order says "that an intentional act of inaction on part of Respondents constrained the petitioner to file the Writ Petition No 370812009 dated 12-12-2009 before this Honourable High Court. Honourable Court issued directions dated 14- 12-2009 to the Respondents to do the needful and the mentioned Respondents are the responsible individuals to implement the orders of this Honourable Court".
The court observed that in spite of lapse of almost five months and in spite of reminding the respondents through letter dated 07.12.2010, no step towards the fixation of the wellhead gas price had been taken by the present respondents who by virtue of their office were supposed to act upon the orders of this Court.
"Send one copy each of this petition to the respondents. They shall show cause in writing, within a period of two weeks why proceedings for having committed the Contempt of this court by wilful breach of the order of this Court be not initiated against them," court order said. The case has been relisted on 12.1.2011.