SHC stays CNG stations closure in Sindh, Balochistan

KARACHI - Sindh High Court on Friday issued stay order against the one-day closure of CNG filling stations operating in Sindh & Balochistan provinces. The court suspended the CNG loadshedding notification till further orders. Moreover, the court summoned Secretary Ministry of Petroleum, Managing Director Sui Southern Gas Company, Chairman Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority and other respondents seeking explanation over the weekly gas loadshedding at CNG stations in Sindh and Balochistan. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmani and Justice Tufail H Ebrahim issued the directives while hearing a petition moved by 13 CNG stations which sought nullification of the said notification. Counselling on behalf of the petitioners, Khalid Javed Advocate argued that his petitioners have invested huge money in CNG sector which amounted up to Rs185 billion and is considered to be the biggest investment in the country from private sector, while the consumers have spent some Rs70b by means of CNG kit and cylinders. He further said that his clients pay their gas bill regularly to SSGC and more than 3,000 CNG stations are located across the country which were supplying CNG to 2.5 million customers. The Ministry of Petroleum provide CNG to his clients through Natural Gas Allocation and Managing Policy 2005. The government issued a notification on May 2, 2010 according to which all CNG stations of Sindh and Balochistan were remain to be closed every week from Friday noon at 12pm till Saturday noon at 12pm, he added. The petitioners pleaded to stop the government from this weekly gas loadshedding as they are suffering from huge financial losses.