SAI threatens closure of industry

KARACHI: Disappointed with the conduct of federal and provincial governments, SITE Association of Industry (SAI) has called upon the army chief and chief justice to intervene and resolve the electricity crisis being faced by the industries in Karachi.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Javed Bilwani, president of the SITE Association of Industry said that the government has failed miserably in providing essential utilities to the people of the city, including industries.

“Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is in Karachi and if he doesn’t take decisive measures, we will shut down the industries for an indefinite period,” Bilwani said, adding that the government would lose 50 percent of direct taxes due to closure of a large number of export-oriented units in Karachi.

It had been around a month that industrial units in Karachi are not getting electricity and water, due to which industrial units are incurring losses and missing export orders. Industrialist Zubair Motiwala said that the federal government has turned a deaf ear to the woes of industrialists and condemned that industrialists are not invited to meet the prime minister.

Meanwhile, industrialists expressed concerns over power outages, which is making impossible to survive in these economic conditions. Industrialists showed their readiness to close their factories for an indefinite period and called for complete unity and harmony of all industries and industrial estates of Karachi. The industrial sector has suffered production losses to the tune of millions of rupees due to power breakdowns and shortage of water.