QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court burst out at the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGL) over the poor pressure of gas, gas load shedding in over billing, ordering the contempt of court notice to the officials of the company.
The court observed that repeated defiance of its orders and discriminatory treatment toward the people of Balochistan constitute a clear violation of Articles 25 and 158 of the Constitution.
The directives were issued by a two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Rozi Khan Bareech and Justice Sardar Ahmed Halimi during the hearing of the case Syed Nazir Ahmed Agha vs. Federation of Pakistan.
The court declared SSGCL’s report on “gasified areas” unsatisfactory, disappointing, and contrary to judicial instructions.
The company had been ordered to submit detailed information about gas supply in the province’s districts and tehsils but merely listed names instead of providing concrete data.
The petitioner’s counsel informed the court that Quetta faces more than 13 hours of gas outages daily and alleged that SSGCL uses “maintenance work” as a pretext to cover financial losses.
The court termed this behavior discriminatory. During the hearing, a disabled consumer, Nazir Ahmed, presented a gas bill amounting to Rs. 500,000 for a small two-room house, shocking the bench.
The court directed OGRA and SSGCL to resolve such complaints and provide relief to affected consumers.
The bench further noted that despite previous orders to ensure gas supply in Balochistan, SSGCL failed to engage with the federal government or address supply issues.
The court remarked that the company’s conduct reflected deliberate neglect of public interest and judicial defiance.
Consequently, show-cause notices were issued to the GM SSGCL, Head of Billing Section, and Manager Legal for contempt proceedings.
The court also observed that the federal government had approved 30 LPG Air-Mix Plants for Balochistan, which were unjustifiably shut down in 2019, while new plants were being installed in other provinces.
The Chief Secretary of Balochistan, serving as an SSGCL board member, was instructed to raise the issue again in the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and Council of Common Interests (CCI) to ensure gas provision in remote districts.
The court also directed OGRA’s Chairman to explain why Balochistan receives less gas and to clarify the mechanism for determining the Weighted Average Cost of Gas (WACOG).
