SCCI concerned at prolonged, unscheduled power outages

President Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Naeem Anwar Qureshi in a press statement issued on Saturday expressed concern over unscheduled loadshedding of 15 to 18 hours in Sialkot with power outages of 5 hours at a stretch. He said that massive loadshedding was unimaginable and that closure of industrial feeders for 15 to 18 hours had crippled the industrial and business activities.
The export industry of Sialkot was on the verge of collapse that produced against orders and delay results in cancellation of orders. Qureshi said that they had time and again appealed to the authorities concerned to realise the special status of Sialkot industry and give it maximum relief enabling it to fulfil its foreign trade commitments. There was an anti-state lobby that was hell bent to destabilise the country by weakening its economy.
The government must keep close vigil on these unscrupulous elements to crush their evil designs. The government must take measures on a war footing to restore electricity as the public and the industry being short of breathing space and overtly disturbed due to the crisis have no option left but to protest against the forced loadshedding.
He said that the SCCI delegation met Syed Navid Qamar, Minister of Water & Power and apprised him about the woes of Sialkot industry due to electricity crisis. The minister assured to provide maximum relief to Sialkot being an export city but the present state of affairs reveal opposite to what the minister promised. Sialkot needed a meager 150MW electricity, which could be conveniently met with better management, said the president SCCI.
He said that any delay to improve the situation would result in collapse of the industry which may create immense social problems and violent protests. He appealed to President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani to intervene and instruct the concerned authorities to forthwith stop unscheduled loadshedding otherwise the business community and the general public would have no option left but to come on streets, which must be avoided at all costs. Sialkot being a foreign exchange earning and revenue generating city deserves better treatment, he said.