Gas shutdown hurting Karachi’s industrial units

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: The commercial and industrial hub of the country is experiencing one of the worst gas crises in its history as the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) carries out Saturday and Sunday gas shutdown for industries. This is not only causing hardship to the daily wageworkers but also threatening the closure of various large, small and medium industrial units.

All the industrial units operating on gas or generating their own power by using gas remained closed in the seven industrial estates of the city on Saturday owing to non- availability of gas.

The industries remain closed on last Thursday owing to low gas pressure on Friday due to the strike and on Saturday on the directive of the SSGC to keep the industrial area closed, operating on gas or generating their own power from gas. Units will also remain closed on coming Sunday on the directive of SSGC.

This week gas supply for industries remained suspended on Sunday and Monday (September 17 and 18). The industries operated only on one day on Tuesday and on Wednesday 60 percent industrial units in the city were not able to operate because of the failure of workers to report on duty owing to non availability of pubic transport and closure of petrol pumps and CNG stations on the strike call against the killing of Ex-city Nazim.

The industrialists said that the country would suffer irreparable losses if the government fails to persuade the SSGC to desist from carrying out gas supply suspension in the industrial areas of the city.

The industrial sector was paying 99 per cent of the SSGC bills regularly, but despite that the utility was carrying on gas supply suspension in the industrial areas, which would ultimately reduce SSGC billing and push the company toward financial crisis. The present 4 days closure of units has almost broken the backbone of Pakistan’s largest industrial sector and so far hundreds of millions of rupees and thousands of production hours have been lost, they added.

Chairman Site Association of Industry (SAI) Mohammad Irfan Moton said that the industrial units operating on gas remain ideal on Saturday.

He said that the industrial units were facing a gas pressure problem since last Thursday. He expressed the hope that the industrial units resume normal production from Monday.

When asked about the loss, he said around a Rs 20 billion loss was suffered during the last three days.

Chairman, Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industry (FBAATI), Masroor Alvi said that there was no issue of gas pressure on Saturday in this industrial estate. However the units operating on gas or captive power remain closed on the directions of the SSGC.

He said that Saturday was third day when the units would remain closed in a row due to the gas issue and strike on Friday. He said that exports had suffered drastically due to the closure on Friday and Saturday.