APTMA Chairman calls on PM, seeks resolution of power loadshedding issue

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Chairman Mohsin Aziz called on Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Wednesday to get resolve power loadshedding to textile industry.

Federal Ministers including Hafeez Sheikh, Dr Asim Hussain, Ch Ahmed Mukhtar, Qamar Zaman Kaira and Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, besides the federal secretaries and Chief Executives of power distribution companies (Discos) were also present in the meeting.

Representing the textile industry, APTMA Chairman Mohsin Aziz said he was great admirer of the government two months back for overcoming power shortfall from 40 – 50 percent to 22 percent. He said the government and concerned ministries were also worth appreciated for keeping prime users on independent feeders exempted from loadshedding in the case of textile industry.

However, he lamented that a decrease in shortfall to 22 percent had proved fatal to textile industry, as the government had not only withdrawn exemption from loadshedding to textile industry but also introduced six hours mandatory loadshedding on independent feeders and prime users. In some cases, he said, interruption to power supply had exceeded to seven hours.

Mohsin strongly protested against increase in loadshedding to textile industry in a situation when power shortfall had reduced substantially and maintained that the government was killing the hen laying golden egg for it.

He said the Captive Power Plants (CPPs) of textile industry were generating 250MW against a total demand of 1500MW of textile industry.

According to him, the textile industry would be collapsed altogether in power-stricken areas of Punjab that would lead to decline in exports and massive unemployment in textile industry.

He said textile millers were yet restraining the textile workers by keeping them calm as of today. However, he feared that situation might get out of control in case power interruption continued for long.