PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the federal government, Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) and Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) in a petition filed against gas loadshedding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and directed them to submit their responses by December 18.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Khurshid Iqbal heard the case.The petitioner’s counsel informed the court that unannounced gas loadshedding was taking place in Peshawar and other parts of the province despite the gas utility being bound to provide uninterrupted supply round the clock. With the drop in temperature, gas becomes scarce and household stoves go cold, forcing parents to send children to schools without breakfast.
The counsel argued that under the Constitution, the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had the first right to the gas produced in the province.During the hearing, Justice Syed Arshad Ali remarked that the month of Ramadan was also approaching, yet gas remained unavailable even during that period. He questioned what measures the relevant departments were taking to address the issue.
