PESHAWAR, Feb 22: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday sought comments from the federal government and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited in a writ petition seeking supply of natural gas to Kohat, Karak and other parts of the NWFP from gas well-heads in the province.

The bench comprising Chief Justice Tariq Pervez Khan and Justice Saleem Khan took up for preliminary hearing the writ petition filed by Kohat District Nazim Gohar Saifullah and 20 union council nazims, seeking directives from the high court to the federal government and other authorities for the provision of natural gas to their respective areas and other parts of the province.

The respondents in the petition are: the secretary of the ministry of petroleum and natural resources, NWFP chief secretary, SNGPL general manager, field managers of the Shakardarra Oil and Gas Development Corporation, Kohat, and MOL Pakistan Oil and Gas Company, Karak.

The petitioners stated that three oil and gas fields in Karak and Kohat districts -– Gurguri, Makori and Chanda –- were functioning while the Mella field was under development.

Senior advocate Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gillani appeared for the petitioners and contended that under the constitution gas had to be supplied to the province where it was explored.

“Article 158 of the Constitution states that the province in which a well-head of natural gas is situated shall have precedence over other parts of Pakistan in meeting the requirements from that well-head, subject to the commitments and obligations as on the commencing day,” Mr Gillani added.He stated that the projected output capacity of these facilities was 382 million cubic feet per day against the total requirement of Kohat of 10 mmcfd and the NWFP of 295 mmcfd.He argued that under the petroleum exploration and production policy read with the Petroleum Concessions Agreement 2001, the companies and the government had to provide gas to local people, undertake other social programmes in the region and give preference in jobs to the locals.He stated that the respondents should make arrangements for laying the required infrastructure.

Mr Gillani pointed out that the commercial supply to other provinces from the wells had started two years back, which was injustice with the province and people of the area.

The petitioners stated that the NWFP had already been deprived of its due share of water under the 1991 water accord because of non-availability of canals.

They feared if the infrastructure was not laid for the provision of gas, the province would suffer huge losses.At present the NWFP is getting 5.10 million acre feet of water against its share of 8.78 maf due to lack of infrastructure.

They prayed the court to ask the companies concerned to fulfil requirements of ‘concession agreements’ and repair the Shakardarra road damaged by the movement of heavy vehicles of these companies.