Fed slashes Sindh's gas supply by 15 pct, SSGC informs SHC

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued show cause notice to Federal Secretary of energy ministry over gas shortage in Sindh, ARY News reported.

A bench of the high court was hearing a petition over gas shortage in the province.

Managing Director Sui Southern Gas Company earlier informed the court that the gas supply to Sindh being slashed by 15 percent on the orders of the Secretary of the federal energy ministry. “The gas slashed from Sindh’s quota being supplied to other provinces,” MD SSGC stated.

“How can a secretary dare to violate the constitution,” the bench remarked. “The producing region have first right over the natural resource under Article 158 of the constitution,” Justice K.K. Agha remarked.

“Letters written under the Article 158, but the federal secretary energy and others given no heed to these letters,” the top official of the gas utility further said.

“If the situation will remain same, the crisis will persist in the summer,” the gas official said.

The high court sought explanation from the federal energy secretary within two weeks over the statement of the SSGC MD and summoned energy and finance secretaries in the court hearing.