Court stays CNG station in residential area

Issues notice to OGRA for May 31.

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court on Monday stopped on-going construction of a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station in Allama Iqbal Town. The court also issued notices to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and other respondents for May 31.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah issued the order in a petition that has challenged the establishment of CNG stations in residential areas. Petitioner Advocate Muhammad Ashraf Khan, a resident of Allama Iqbal Town, stated that a CNG station was being constructed in the locality after demolishing three houses. He contended that under the Lahore Development Authority Act, 1975, and the Local Government Ordinance, 2001 commercial activities could not be carried out in residential areas. However, the Punjab government and LDA have allowed using residential properties for commercial purposes after paying a commercialisation fee, he said.

The petitioner stated that the District Coordination Officer had issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) while Ministry of Industries had also granted permission. The residential scheme is regulated by the LDA so the district government did not have the authority to issue the NOC, Khan said.  The petitioner-lawyer stated that the Environment Department, in 2005, had issued a notification under which it was now mandatory to get permission in writing from residents of an area before setting up a CNG station. The requirement had not been met, Khan said. The petitioner prayed the court to bar the station owner from setting up a CNG station in Allama Iqbal Town.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2012.