The Islamabad High Court on Thursday sought a comprehensive reply from Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) regarding the reasons for not implementing the court's orders on provision of gas to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations in Rawalpindi and Islamabad three days a week.
A single -member bench of Justice Shoukat Aziz Siddiqui resumed the hearing of contempt petitions filed by CNG stations owners, seeking the initiation of contempt proceedings against the MD SNGPL for not implementing court's orders and issuing a new schedule of supply of gas to CNG stations. During the course of proceedings, SNGPL's lawyer Altaf Hussain sought time from court for presenting important documented details of gas load shedding schedule in the court.
He pleaded that gas supply scheduled to the CNG stations in the Potohar region was changed due to the shortage of gas. However, the petitioners' lawyers, Mohsin Kiani and Nabeel Rehman, apprised the bench that the new schedule announced by the SNGPL to supply gas two days a week is in violation of the court's orders. They said that in such circumstances it was impossible for CNG station owners to meet their expenses and pay salaries to their staff.
They pleaded in the court to direct SNGPL to implement the court's previous orders. Justice Siddiqui while expressing displeasure on the failure of the SNGPL to implement the court's orders sought a comprehensive reply from SNGPL and adjourned the proceedings of case till May 19.
It is pertinent to mention that the IHC had declared null and void the decision of the government to suspend gas supply to CNG stations for an indefinite period in the Potohar region. The court also approved all the pleas of pump owners in this regard. In its verdict, the court restored previous schedule of gas suspension to CNG outlets in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and ordered the authorities concerned to provide gas to the pumps three days a week.