Protest demonstrations held against gas Loadshedding

Hundreds of textile workers came out on streets and held protest demonstrations against severe gas load shedding at Khurrianwala Industrial Estate, here Wednesday. They chanted anti-government slogans and burnt the effigies of the rulers and tyers in front of Garment City and beat their chests in protest. Later on, the workers took out a rally from Garment City to Khurrianwala Chowk on Faisalabad-Sheikhupura Road and blocked the traffic for many hours on this important thoroughfare linking Faisalabad with provincial metropolis.
They demanded uninterrupted supply of gas to keep the industrial wheel running and enabling them to earn their wages and meeting their expenses. The protesting workers asserted that during the month of December, only six days gas had been provided to textile mills. Faqir Muhammad, a daily wager, said that if mills worked for 6 days a month how could they survive and provide bread and butter to their family.
"The government would have to reset its priorities regarding provision of gas, otherwise the situation would go out of control," another protester said, adding that the new gas load management plan is a well-calculated and thought-out conspiracy against the present regime and the people sitting at the helm of affairs must understand the importance of the industry.
The discriminatory attitude of the government is not only denting its goodwill and reputation, but also put a question mark on its ability to manage and govern things, an industrialist said. The units in other parts of the country are getting an almost uninterrupted gas supply except two-to-three-hour load-shedding, he said.
Even three days gas closure is intolerable in the ongoing economic scenario as it is increasing the number of poor in the country and if it is extended for a longer period, the millions of daily wagers would be out of jobs. "The rise in number of unemployed would definitely give air to anti-government sentiments." It is not the industry only that would be suffering massively but the government would also be an ultimate loser on many counts, he said. Textile workers and industrialists urged the government to immediately shelve the proposed "Industry closure plan" to avert industrial closures and resultant massive layoffs in the province.