PESHAWAR: A Peshawar Civil Court on Thursday issued restraining order, forbidding SNGPL from severing gas supply to industrial units on account of non-payment of Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC).
Counsel for the petitioner Ishaq Ali Qazi argued in the court that the petitioners have approached the civil court in light of the Peshawar High Court orders on a petition challenging collection of GIDC. He told the court that the Supreme Court of Pakistan has already declared in its judgments that the government wanted to recover Rs300 billion in the head of GIDC, which has been received. “But now it is necessary to determine how the industrial units which have not received GIDC fund from the consumers after these orders are to be relieved in the whole process.”
Advocate Ishaq Qazi cited bank accounts, saying these accounts proved petitioners had not received any such funds from consumers in the name of GIDC. Therefore, the government should not receive GIDC fund from factories in the light of Supreme Court of Pakistan judgment, he requested the court.
He informed that the Sui Gas authorities are sending GIDC arrears notices to the industrial unit in the electricity bills. In this regard, NEPRA and the Peshawar High Court have also declared that civil courts will determine whether the amount has been transferred to national exchequer and if not received from the public, how these industrial units will be bound to pay the amount to the government in the head of GIDC.
The court directed the Sui Northern authorities not to disconnect gas supply to these industrial units and sought a reply on the next date of hearing.
