HC notice to Centre for violation of court in CNG allocation

The division bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala has also issued notice to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited (Ahmedabad asset) and directed them to file an explanation within two weeks.

The similar bench had, in its judgment of July 25, also refused to grant stay of its directives and ordered the central government to comply with the orders immediately.

The court gave direction in a PIL filed by an environmental NGO Dhanghdhra Prakrutik Mandal, which claimed that though as per the Bhurelal Committee report, pollution levels in Ahmedabad city were as high as that of Delhi and Mumbai, the Centre was not providing natural gas to the city under the APM.

Today, the NGO had filed another petition claiming that till date the Centre had not allocated the natural gas to the city of Ahmedabad, as per court's order.

The petitioner has demanded penalty for the opponent no.1 (Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas), for having committed contempt of court by not complying with the directions issued by the court.

It has also alleged another 'blatant violation', of the court order by ONGC (Ahmedabad Asset) which has invited the bids through the tender which deals with sale of natural gas from small/isolated and marginal field of ONGC, Ahmedabad Asset, for an approximate quantity of 15,000 SCMD (standard cubic meters per day). MORE