Sindh energy dept asked to resolve subsidy issue

TANVEER AHMED

KARACHI: Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday ordered Sindh energy department to resolve the issue of subsidy to captive power plants in private sector in accordance with the law.

A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Muahmmad Ali Mazhar issued these orders while hearing the petition of a private cement company against Sindh Government for not extending the subsidy to its captive power plant.

The petitioner submitted in the court that provincial government passed the law to give subsidy to the captive power plants in 2017 and stated that it is their right to seek the subsidy for production of electricity at its power plant in the light of this law.

Sindh Government submitted its reply in the court against the petition and told the court that it can’t extend the subsidy to the cement company for its captive power plant.

The provincial government cited the financial crunch of the province being a reason for not giving the subsidy as well as referred to the verdict of Supreme Court, which barred it to extend such a facility to captive power plants.

The court in its observations questioned the contention of provincial government as how can the subsidy be stopped when the law related to it exists.

The counsel for the petitioner also countered the argument of provincial government and submitted that apex court only stopped the subsidy to Omni Group.

The court ordered Sindh Energy Department to resolve the issue of subsidy to private captive power plant in the light of the provincial law and disposed off the petition.

Meanwhile, the division bench of the SHC sought the fee structure on self-finance basis in medical colleges from Sindh Secretary Health.

Petitioner Bhuromal Advocate moved the SHC against the difference in fee of medial colleges on self-finance basis. The court ordered both parties to submit their replies in the petition.

The petitioner submitted that government medical colleges are bound to charge uniform fee, however various medical colleges are charging different fee structures.

The court also sought the fee structure from private schools after it was approached by parents that their children are harassed by the administrations of a private school in case of delay in payment of fee. The counsel for the private school pleaded the court to direct the parents for depositing the fee, at which the court ruled that it can’t issue any order until the reply from Director General Private Schools was submitted in the court in this petition.