Lawyer files petition in LHC over shortage of gas

LAHORE: A lawyer on Saturday filed a constitutional plea in the Lahore High Court (LHC) over shortage of gas in Lahore.

Advocate Sardar Farhat Manzoor Chandio made the federal government, Ministry of Energy and Petroleum Division secretary, Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority and Sui Northern Gas Company.

“With the arrival of winter, gas has become extinct in the city. Because of the shortfall in supply of gas, people are forced to buy LPG cylinders on high rates,” he said.

Read more: Gas shortage worsens across the country

The plaintiff said it was responsibility of the government to ensure provision of basic facilities to the citizens.

“Under the Article 4 of the constitution, the state has failed to fulfill its responsibilities. So, the court should order the government, OGRA and other organisations to perform their constitutional responsibilities and end the gas shortage,” he demanded.

On November 24, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) legislators in the Punjab Assembly, Sumera Komal and Aneeza Fatima, had submitted two separate resolutions against gas price hike and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal done by the federal government.

MPA Sumera, in her resolution, had claimed that despite a hike in gas tariffs, people were still facing a gas shortage.