PHC suspends Ogra notification on hike in gas prices

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday suspended thenotification of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) regarding 20-30 percent increase in price of the natural gas till the next order of the court.
A two-member bench comprising of Justice Nisar Hussain Khan and Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan suspended the notification that was issued on August 31.
The bench also issued notice to Ogra and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) directing them to explain their position regarding increase in the price of the natural gas.
Various industrial units across the province, including Lakki Cement Factory, had challenged the increase in the price of the natural gas through their lawyer Shumail Ahmad Butt.
The lawyer submitted that the Ogra notification regarding 20-30 percent increase in the price of natural gas was illegal.
He said the Ogra claim that the price of natural gas was increased on the applications pending before it in 2014 was unjustified.
In his arguments, he referred to the Supreme Court verdict linking the price of natural gas with the prices of petroleum products.
He submitted that the Supreme Court had declared that the price of natural gas would increase when the prices of petroleum products were increased in the international market and vice-versa.
Shumail Butt argued that since the previous year the prices of petroleum products had decreased from 70 dollar per barrel to 45
He submitted that Ogra instead of reducing the price of natural gas was increasing it from time to time in violation of the judgment of the apex court.
The lawyer requested the court to declare the increase in natural gas price as void and provide relief to consumers of the province.
The court after preliminary hearing of the petitions suspended the Ogra notification and sought replies from Ogra and SNGPL to explain their position at the next hearing of the case.
Separately, another bench of the high court comprising of Justice Irshad Qaiser and Justice Qalandar Ali Khan issued notice to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for not issuing licence of the prohibited bore weapons to the lawyers.
The court issued notice to the provincial government on the writ petition of the PHC’s Bannu Bench lawyers including Ahmadullah and others, seeking licence of prohibited bore arms for self- protection.