Closure of gas pumps challenged before Lahore High Court

Petitioner says CNG station owners still making Rs5 profit per kg.

LAHORE:

A petition has been filed before the Lahore High Court against the closure of CNG pumps in the city. The petitioner has asked the court to direct the owners to ensure an uninterrupted supply of gas.

Amjad Ali Qasim has filed the petition through Advocate Fahad Ahmed Siddiqi. Among the respondents are the Federation of Pakistan, the Ministry of Petroleum, the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority, the Competition Commission of Pakistan and the chairman of All Pakistan CNG Association.

The petitioner submitted that the CNG station owners had continued their strike for the third consecutive week and kept their gas stations shut in protest against the reduction in CNG prices by the government. He pointed out that the government had done so at the orders of the SC.



He alleged that CNG station owners were still making a profit of more than Rs5 per kg despite the cut in gas prices.

The petitioner also criticised Ogra for issuing “pseudo-warnings” to CNG station owners. He said the authority was not taking any substantive steps to punish owners who were refusing to sell gas at the rate decided by the SC. The authority is only threatening issuance of show-cause notices and cancellation of licences, he said.

He asked the court to issue notices to the respondents to explain why they had not initiated proceedings against delinquent CNG station owners.

He prayed that the court summon the minister for petroleum in person so he could tell the court how many and which CNG stations had closed or had their licences cancelled for flouting court orders.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2012.