KARACHI (PPI) - Chief convener, supreme council of traders, Imran Saeed Baghpati has called upon the authorities concerned to order Sui Southern Gas Company to stop supplying the gas to Sui Northern Gas Company and to ensure supply of gas to Sindh and Balochistan. "In a total national output of natural gas which is approx. 3800 MMCFD, Sindh/Balochistan are consuming only 37 percent i.e. 1200 MMCFD and even in this supply through SSGC there is a shortfall of 25 percent, whereas shortage in Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (Punjab) is 15 percent. Business and Industrial Community had gone to court for implementation of the Article 158 of Constitution which says 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," and the High Court had granted stay over supply of gas to Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited without meeting the requirement/ allocation of Sindh/Balochistan. Even contempt of court petition has been filed against SSGC by the Business and Industrial Community, as it has been established that 50 MMCFD gas is being supplied by Sui Southern Gas Company to Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Baghpati said in a statement on Saturday. "We fail to understand SSGC is short of how much gas? Sui Southern Gas Company has disconnected gas supplies to Engro equal to 84 MMCFD; SSGC has discontinued supply to Jamshoro 54 MMCFD. SSGC discontinued KESC 180 MMCFD, with a total disconnection of 380 MMCFD in a system of 1100 MMCFD and despite this there is low pressure in entire Karachi city's industrial, commercial and residential areas. As a result of short supply of gas KESC has announced 16 hours load-shedding in the industrial areas which means practically no production at all. Our plea is to find out the cause of this. There is no doubt that a circular debt is being created. KESC has to pay Sui Southern Gas Company 22 billion rupees whereas KESC owes to KW&SB;, Federal Govt and Provincial Departments which needs to be resolved, he urged. "SSGC must be ordered to comply at first instance the Sindh High Court's orders wherein Article-158 is self-explanatory and Sui Southern Gas Company will have to supply uninterrupted gas to Sindh on priority, to all consumers including KESC, stop supply to Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and must not violate the constitution. "We want to caution that any further delay could harm the economy of Sindh which contributes more than 60 percent revenue in terms of taxes. We would like to warn that this situation will lead to collapse in commitment to export orders, huge labor layoffs, and worsening of law and order situation in Karachi," he concluded.