‘Gas tariff rise to destroy Hyderabad’s bangle industry’

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) President Adeel Siddiqui has urged the caretaker prime minister and federal cabinet to review the decision of increase in gas tariff for survival of industry.

In a statement issued on Sunday, he drew the attention of the prime minister and federal cabinet towards Hyderabad’s bangle industry, which was a traditional industry but facing closure due to rise in gas tariff.

He said climatic conditions favoured bangle manufacturing in Hyderabad and bangles produced there were not only popular among women all across Sindh but also exported to foreign countries like England, Bangladesh and United Arab Emirates.

Siddiqui explained that the bangle industry’s operations could not be shifted to an alternative fuel source in case the gas price became unaffordable. He lamented that the gas tariff for the bangle industry had been raised by 170 per cent and such a difference in cost could not be passed on to foreign buyers.

He said buyers would not even touch the Pakistani bangles if such a cost rise was transferred to the price of bangles and would switch over to other competitors in the market.

The HCCI president warned that Pakistani exporters would soon be out of the international market because of the raise in gas tariff and exports would be hit badly. He revealed that 500,000 families were directly and indirectly associated with the bangle industry and the livelihood of many widows was also linked with it.

He said the government had been raising gas tariff because doing so was easier than creating employment opportunities for the people. He said that research development bodies should ensure the provision of alternate fuel for the bangle industry so that it could keep working and its exports remained unaffected.