APBUMA criticises gas suspension to industry

RECORDER REPORT

MULTAN: The Chairman of All Pakistan Bedsheets & Upholstery Manufacturers Association (APBUMA), Muhammad Aasim Shah, has strongly reacted against the discrimination in supply of natural gas to industry in Punjab and said that gas suspension to Punjab is a premeditated conspiracy to demoralise over 100 million people of Punjab, and gas suspension to Punjab is a dirty attempt to close down the industry and wreck Pakistan's economy.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday along with Muhammad Iqbal, Chairman of South, Muhammad Arif, Muhammad Fazil, Syed Muhammad Ahsan Shah. APBUMA chairman said that four days a week gas load shedding would have disastrous impact on the textile sector, particularly in Punjab, and in such critical situation the exporters would be unable to execute their orders by working two days a week. He said gas closure has completely destroyed not only manufacturing side but also export business. Resultantly, millions of textile workers would be rendered jobless.

Aasim said that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani should take notice of this situation and added that SNGPL should restore undisrupted gas supply on war footing. He further said that acute gas crisis has ravaged the industry in Punjab while electricity shortage was adding salt to the miseries of Punjab people. He said that Punjab was being treated unfairly with regard to supply of natural gas, which is badly affecting the Punjab industry and the common man.

He said that around 40 percent industrial units in Punjab utilise gas as fuel and gas suspension has pushed thousands large and medium scale manufacturing units towards closure and left millions of industrial workers and daily wagers unemployed while the remaining industry was on the edge of closure. He said that industry had already suffered massive gas load shedding during the past summer. First time in the history, which shows that gas suspension to the Punjab industry is a well planned conspiracy. He said that the industrial activities were already frozen because of mismanagement and unfriendly course of action of the present regime while the worst gas shortage is throwing more fuel to the fire. The APBUMA Chairman said that a uniform policy with regard to load shedding of gas should be implemented throughout the country but only Punjab was facing this problem, which is sheer injustice and violation of provincial rights. He said Punjab has gas requirement of 600 MMCF, while it is being provided only 180 MMCF gas.

He warned that thousands of jobless workers would be on streets if the industry closed in Punjab. This situation could not be afforded by the ruling party when the general elections were not far away. Aasim said: "We have no political motive against the ruling party and APBUMA does not want to disturb the present political and administrative setup. However, he said, it was the bureaucracy, which is creating unnecessary hurdles in the smooth functioning of the provincial governments and mocking the people of Punjab by suspending the gas supply. He demanded from government that textile trade bodies must be taken into confidence to accord special incentives for textile sector and save this industry and economy from complete collapse where millions of workers are employed. Being prime industry, Textile sector has shown tremendous growth in exports during last financial year. He stressed the government to support the textile sector for banking on what has been achieved for maximizing the trajectory in terms of valuable foreign exchange. Given the current scenario, the suspension of gas to the textile sector will scrap what has been achieved. Aasim said that the exports figures are already showing negative trend of 26 percent in cotton yarn, 32 percent in fabrics, 26 percent in knitwear, 28 percent in Bedware, 12 percent terry towel, and 12 percent in readymade garments.