84-hour gas loadshedding to affect 600 units in Faisalabad

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) has announced 84 hours gas loadshedding for Faisalabad, which will start from Friday (today) at 6am and will affect more than 600 industrial units in Faisalabad. Industrialists in Faisalabad and textile exporters have invited Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif for leading the protest procession against 84 hours gas loashedding, which is negation of the announcement of Prime Minister Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gilani.
Talking to newsmen, Chaudhry Salamat Ali, Chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PHMA) North Zone said that the industrial sector in Punjab was being victimised as there was no closure for industrial units in other provinces, while the industries were being subjected to four day closure in fourth week of the December in Punjab.
He said that the new schedule of 84 hours had created unrest and panic in the industrial sector as thousands of workers most of them daily wagers became jobless and were either committing suicides or resorting to looting make their both ends meet. The chairman PHMA, North Zone pointed out that the chief minister of Punjab had raised the issue in a meeting with the Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who ordered the SNGPL officials to observe shutdown for just two days and devise a strategy to observe uniform shutdown across the board. He said that the gas supply was restored for two days in a week, but SNGPL announced 84 hours suspension of gas for 600 industrial units.
Chaudhry Salamat Ali lamented over the high handedness of the SNGPL officials and violation of the PM directives and announcements in the media. The prolonged gas loadshedding is high handedness of the SNGPL authorities, who are violating the PM directive, while present gas loadhedding schedule would push the export oriented and value added textile industry towards collapse, he added.
Commenting over the discriminatory attitude, he said that some mysterious elements are creating law and order situation in Punjab. He invited the chief minister of Punjab to lead the joint rally of industrialists and workers at Faisalabad against conspiracies.