The court directed the SNGPL to restore the gas connections of those CNG stations which supply has been suspended.

A single member bench comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui resumed hearing of a review application of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and deferred the hearing till third week of January for further proceedings.

Counsel for SNGPL apprised the bench that domestic consumers would suffer if gas was supplied to CNG stations.

He contended that they were facing hardships to provide natural gas to the domestic and commercial consumers at full pressure due to the high court's stay orders against the indefinite closure of CNG sector.

Justice Siddiqui remarked why the government authorities had not considered the shortage of gas when they were issuing licenses for establishment of CNG gas stations.

The company's counsel prayed to the court to vacate stay orders of December 20, where the court through an interim order had restored supply of the gas as per previous schedule of three days a week. It adopted that there is acute low pressure of natural gas in the twin cities due to the stay order.

Earlier, Qamar Afzal Khan counsel for CNG stations had apprised the court that in all the provinces CNG stations are allowed to operate at least for three days in a week but discriminatory treatment is being mated out to the Islamabad and Rawalpindi regions.

He argued that total ban has been imposed on supply of CNG which tantamount to frustrate the proceedings pending before this court as well as depriving the petitioners from earning their livelihood and also cause inconvenience to the consumers of the CNG.

He said that all the CNG Stations of Islamabad and Rawalpindi regions are already under severe restrictions as they were allowed to operate only for three days in a week.

Source: APP