PHC stays collection of GIDC from industrial units

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesdaystopped collection of Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) from industrial units of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa till June 21.

A division bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Lal Jan Khattak issued the stay order and directed the federal government to submit reply in the writ petition before next hearing of the case.

The bench issued the stay order in a writ petition of Saif Textile Mills filed through its lawyer Qazi Ghulam Dastageer against the GIDC.

The lawyer submitted before the bench that first the GIDC was declared illegal by the superior courts. However, the lawyer submitted that later the high court declared the GIDC as valid, but not proper and detailed reasons were given in the decision. He argued that the high court validated the GIDC in its decision announced on May 31, this year.

The lawyer informed the bench that the SNGPL authorities were now going to issue one year’s arrears in the bills, which would be heavy burden on the industrial units of the province.He further submitted that the owners of industrial units are going to challenge it in the Supreme Court, but it required 60 days to file appeal there.

The lawyer requested the court to stay the collection of the GIDC from the petitioner until submission of appeal in the Supreme Court against the high court decision and order of the apex court. The lawyer submitted that the high court had the jurisdiction to stop implementation on its decision till the decision of the Supreme Court.