The Sindh High Court has granted stay in the Sui Southern Gas Company’s announcement to curtail supply to the CNG filling stations twice a week and issued a contempt notice to the company’s management.

A statement said that the contempt petition had been filed by All Pakistan CNG Association. The court has also summoned Mr Azeem Siddiqui MD of SSGC, Mr Hasan Nawab and Mr Inayatullah to appear before Justice Musheer Alam on December 9th 2011.

Mr Ghayas Paracha chairman of APCNGA Central said that they had warned the high ups of Ministry of Petroleum against gas curtailment to the CNG filling stations but they took the decision without taking stakeholders onboard.

Mr Paracha said that the industry and the power sector can feed on alternative fuels in winter when gas demand is much high but CNG vehicles do not have any other option and causing hardships for the masses in order to appease a few is not a prudent decision. The Ministry of Petroleum and gas distribution companies should take stakeholders onboard before imposing such decisions.

The SSGC’s announcement to curtail gas supply to the CNG filling stations in Sindh defies the SHC ruling of July 23, that there should be no gas load shedding in the province as it produces 71% of the total gas requirement.

(Sourced from www.thenews.com.pk)