LAHORE Through an application, the Lahore High Court has been prayed for early hearing of the constitutional petition whereof grievance has been made against an acute short supply of natural gas to Punjab. The petition was earlier filed by Noshab A Khan advocate which has yet to come up for hearing. The applicant says the matter is of very serious nature as almost whole of the province is affected by extremely poor supply of Sui-gas both for commercial and domestic use. Therefore, the main petition may be taken up for immediate hearing as situation is going from bad to worse as the time passes by. In the main petition, it has been contended, inter alia, that owing to low pressure and short supply of natural gas, industry at a large scale in Punjab has been closed down rendering tens of thousands of workers jobless and without any sustenance. He said about 15 million people are attached with various industries and the gas cut has affected them seriously. He says gas stations throughout Punjab are also without gas in mostly in a week and the meagre quantity they receive is insufficient to produce pressure to pump in CNG into the motor vehicles. Likewise the domestic side of the province is also bearing the brunt of low gas pressure and hours long loadshedding of the gas, which has fomented unrest and agitation among the people. This has created another sad story of public sufferings owing to shortage of gas. He submitted that the Punjab has gas requirement of 600 MMCF while it was being provided only 180MMCF gas and supply from the Sui Northern Pipelines grid stations has also been stopped. The petitioner says the matter has also been brought to the notice of the higher federal authorities but no tangible and solid step has so far been taken to address the situation.