PHC takes notice of non-availability of gas in producing areas

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) observed on Wednesday that the court would not allow anyone to deprive the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of their constitutional right to be the first to get natural gas produced in the province and ensure that the treatment meted out to the people in Dera Bugti in Balochistan isn't repeated.

"We would not allow Dera Bugti-like situation in Kohat or other areas of KP as natural gas was provided to the people in gas-producing areas in Balochistan after 50 years," Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan said.

The bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Syed Afsar Shah summoned general manager SNGPL, secretary and director legal Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources and secretary Finance Division at the next hearing. They were directed to explain why the gas-producing areas within the radius of five kilometres of the gas fields in Kohat district are deprived of gas supply.

The bench observed that it was the constitutional right of the dwellers of the gas-producing areas to be the first to get the natural gas, but they were deprived of the right and gas is being provided to far-flung areas of the province.

The writ was filed by Sohaib Hassan, a resident of Shawaki in Lachi tehsil in Kohat, through his lawyer Bushra Naz. During arguments, she submitted that the petitioner's area comes within the radius of five kilometres of the oil and gas field, but the dwellers were deprived of gas despite the government's clear-cut policy to first provide gas to such areas.

A representative of SNGPL appeared in the court and submitted that there is still moratorium on the gas supply and the company provided it after special approval of the prime minister. However, an official from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources informed the bench that as per the decision of Supreme Court, moratorium has been lifted on provision of gas connections and there was no ban on provision of gas to areas that come within radius of five kilometres of the gas fields.

The bench observed that the representatives of SNGPL and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources are not clear and thus the court has no option but to summon senior officials. The lawyer argued that the survey of Ministry of Petroleum presented to CCI in 2013 had stated that natural gas should be provided to areas within a distance of five kilometres radius of the gas fields.

She claimed that the petitioner's area comes within five kilometres from the gas field but was still deprived of gas supply. The court fixed April 15 for the next hearing in the case.