LCCI to finalise province-wise protest plan on Jan 2

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: Strongly protesting against discrimination in gas and electricity supply to the industry in Punjab, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has convened an emergent meeting of all the chambers of commerce in Punjab and sector-specific associations on January 2, to finalise protest plan across the province.

LCCI President Farooq Iftikhar, Senior Vice Irfan Iqbal Sheikh and Vice President Mian Abuzar Shad in their joint statement said the protest plan was not all about keeping the industrial wheel on the run but saving millions of people from going unemployed and their families from starvation.

They urged the government to immediately stop discrimination in gas supply to Punjab industry as the suspension of gas supply had caused closure of over 1,300 industrial units, rendering thousands of workers unemployed.  They said that around 40 percent of the industrial units in Punjab ran on gas and gas suspension meant no production by almost half of the industry in Punjab and a loss of millions of rupees to the exchequer.

The LCCI office-bearers said the ‘discriminatory attitude’ of the government was not only denting its goodwill and reputation but had also put a question mark on its ability to manage and govern things.

They said the units in Sindh were getting an almost uninterrupted supply except a two-to three-hour loadshedding.

Terming gas suspension a death knell for the industry and productivity, the LCCI sought the Prime Minister’s intervention and help for restoration of gas supply to the industry in Punjab.  He said the suspension of gas was sending a very negative signal to the foreign buyers. “Instead of coming up with some sort of relief package, the industry is being pushed to the wall.”

The LCCI office-bearers said the businessmen were unable to understand that why the business community was not taken into confidence over industry-related issues and if the SNGPL was facing some supply-related issues they must bring them to the notice of real stakeholders well ahead of time. “It would have taken about two years to set up a system for LNG supply, had the government been accepted LCCI proposal a couple years ago.”