Gas shedding, closure of CNG stations create havoc

Gas shedding for Industrial Sector and closure of CNG Stations continued on second consecutive day, here till Friday, resultantly 600 industrial units are not in a position to maintain their production as well as export consignments, while transporters are fleecing the commuters by charging more than 20 percent extra fare during the closure of CNG stations as well as fresh increase in petroleum prices.
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) authorities have announced that the Gas shedding would continue till December 04 at 06:00am under the gas load management plan, while Industrialists and Exporters of Textile Sector have announced to run their factories on December 03 and they would stage protest demonstration against anti Punjab policy of the government. CNG supply will be restored on Sunday morning at 6.00am for the customers in the cities/towns of Faisalabad region.
Talking to newsmen, Chaudhry Salamat Ali, Chief Co-ordinator and former Chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (North Zone) strongly criticised the repeated increases in petroleum prices and said that it is an ample proof of government's non-seriousness towards the well-being of the "Masses and Industry" which are suffering due to multiple reasons.
He strongly demanded that government remove unnecessary taxes and duties from petroleum products, load shedding of Electricity and Gas right now otherwise industry would be collapsed within no time. At a time when the whole industry was suffering due to energy crisis and high cost of doing business, the rise in POL prices is bound to give a further blow to the Value-Added and Export- Oriented Textile Industry, he added.
Emphasising the importance of industrial conducive promotion and productivity augmentation conditions in the country, Salamat Ali pointed out that to keep the industrial wheel running and providing maximum job employment to working hands in the country, it is imperative to facilitate the optimum industrial activity. For this purpose availability of factors of production is of utmost importance, he added.
Enumerating these factors he assigned top priority to adequate availability of energy items like gas and electricity. The industrial sector is deprived of the gas supplies for 120 days in the winter resulting in production downfall by 33%. With only 66 percent industrial production, how could the exporters meet the demands of foreign buyers and fulfil the export commitments on time, he mentioned.
Further, Chief Co-ordinator Chaudhry Salamat Ali demanded that the raw material and inputs plus gas and electricity should be provided to the exporters at cheaper cost enabling them to compete successfully at international export market. Export refinance at lower mark-up is yet another hassle hampering the textile production and exports, he added.
Chaudhry Salamat Ali demanded that the Government should provide the textile exporters' export credit at low markup rates as India is providing this facility to its exporters. He exhorted the Government to immediately take remedial measures to stop the declining trend in textile export otherwise there would be an imminent collapse.