All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) has approached President Asif Ali Zardari seeking his intervention for five-day uninterrupted gas supply to the textile industry. Textile industry is getting gas for four days only, however with the gas pressure low at present, the industry has come to a complete halt, said Aptma Chairman Gohar Ijaz.
Talking to Business Recorder, Ijaz said suspension of gas supply is hurting textile exports and putting the jobs of millions of workers at stake. Gas crisis has worsened in the country and the industry is suffering $1.52 billion per month loss, he added. "We have formally approached President Asif Ali Zardari to intervene and resolve the gas issue.
He said Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) had committed five-day gas supply to the textile industry, however it failed to honour its commitment. He said that they were waiting for the meeting to be convened by the President to resolve the gas loadshedding issue.
A meeting was scheduled to be held in Lahore on June 15, between the federal minister for petroleum and natural resources and Aptma, however the meeting was postponed. The ministry of petroleum was ready to discuss the issue of gas loadshedding, however Aptma representatives preferred to hold the meeting in the presence of President Zardari who was in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Aptma chairman further said the industry is formulating plan to be presented to the President. According to the formula, the industry would request him to provide gas on priority basis to the textile industry.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.