Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court yesterday issued notices to the Centre and others on a PIL seeking parity in prices of natural gas supplied to cities in South Gujarat.
The notices were also issued to Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) and Gujarat Gas Company Ltd (GGCL), a subsidiary of state PSU Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC), seeking their replies on the PIL filed by two Surat-based groups.
A Bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattarcharya and Justice J B Pardiwala issued the notices while hearing the PIL filed by Surat Citizen Council Trust and South Gujarat Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The PIL has sought an end to disparity in rates within various cities of Gujarat and a direction to GAIL to supply CNG at the same rate to South Gujarat at which it gives to other cities of the State.
GGCL supplies natural gas to cities in South Gujarat while the rest of the cities are served by other distributors.
GGCL has contended it is not getting enough supplies from GAIL, a Central PSU, and hence was not in a position to supply cheap natural gas to cities in South Gujarat.
After hearing the initial arguments, the HC issued notices and kept the next hearing after two weeks.
