ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday allowed 77 CNG stations in Rawalpindi and Islamabad to operate two days a week, paving way for hundreds of other outlets in the twin cities to get a similar relief.

However, an official of the gas distribution company, said the relief would disturb the supply of natural gas to the domestic consumers and the government would file an appeal against the ruling next week.

It may be noted that in November 2011 the IHC had granted a similar relief to the CNG stations but later withdrew it after the government challenged the verdict.

On December 2, the government suspended the supply of gas to the CNG stations in the Pothohar region for three months citing shortage of gas to meet the rising domestic demand in the winter. On Friday, IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui issued the order after the 77 CNG station owners challenged the government decision. The court directed the government to restore the previous schedule of supplying gas to the petitioners for two days a week.

Qamar Afzal, the counsel for the petitioners, argued that the government had not issued any formal notification and unilaterally suspended the gas supply.

He said the Council of Common Interests (CCI) had also not yet approved the decision and a summary in this regard was still pending before the prime minister.

He said the CNG station owners had already been under severe financial crunch and the three months gas closure had increased their problems. It has become impossible for them to meet their expenses.

Advocate Afzal added that previously the government had allowed the CNG sector to remain open for three days in a week. Later, it decreased the duration to just two days. But the complete suspension of gas supply is unfair to the business community and the employees of the CNG sector. He said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was providing gas to the CNG sector but the federal government had stopped the supply in Punjab and Islamabad.

He requested the court to declare the government decision unlawful. Further hearing of the matter has been adjourned till the second week of February.

Javed Khan, the general manager of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL), told Dawn that due to the shortage of gas the government had decided to close the CNG stations. He said the first priority of the government was domestic consumers.