FAISALABAD City News

Exporters term gas closure anti-industrial step

Say gas closure to open floodgates of employment,

deprive country of foreign exchange

From Our Correspondent

FAISALABAD: Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association North zone senior vice-chairman Amjad Khawaja has termed gas closure for the Punjab an anti-industrial step of the government, which will not only open floodgates of unemployment but also deprive the country of foreign exchange.

In a statement here, he said gas closure would suspend industrial as well as export activities. He said the exporters would be unable to fulfill their foreign commitments after closure of gas. Instead of taking such a drastic step, the government must consult the stakeholders and take them into confidence, he added. He said: “We can work out a reasonable solution which can help the government and the industry to manage their affairs properly.” He said gas was one of the important and unavoidable components for the industrial process without which industrial wheel would come to a halt. He warned that the industrial closure would promote unemployment, which would further deteriorate the law and order situation in the province. He underlined disparity in prices structure for industrial sector of the province and said they had been charged GIDC, line losses and gas supply costs, which had increased energy cost and production cost. He said the steps had made the upcountry uncompetitive even within the country as we have to pay almost 1.5 per cent higher cost of gas as compared to Sindh. He said the government should also consider the injustice and step-motherly treatment with value-added textile sector of the Punjab. He said it was crucial time for value-added textile sector as it was busy finalising Christmas and New Year related consignments, which would be delayed due to sudden gas closure and it would result in cancellation of millions of dollars export orders. He said the government was trying to attract foreign investors but how they could be convinced in the absence of continued energy crisis being faced by local industrialists. He said many industrial units had already been declared sick while the remaining were also running with their 50 per cent installed capacity. He appealed to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister for Petroleum Khaqan Abbasi, Federal Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to intervene and direct the departments concerned to immediately withdraw the unworkable decision and restore gas supply to the industrial sector of the Punjab. He demanded a meeting with the prime minister to work out a permanent and sustainable solution to gas shortage issue during winter season every year.