Gas load management: Over 600 industrial units remain closed

RECORDER REPORT

FAISALABAD: More than 600 industries, most of them value-added and export-oriented textile units, remained closed here on the fourth consecutive day, while low gas pressure created severe problems for domestic consumers.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) Saturday suddenly announced to increase one more day to the three-day gas load-shedding per week schedule announced earlier, while industrialists have announced to close down for seven days as a mark of protest. Textile associations, also, rejected the decision of SNGPL and announced to launch a protest movement after the 10th of Moharram.

Commenting over the prevailing load-shedding situation, Ch. Salamat Ali, chief co-ordinator and former chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (north zone) said that gradually increasing load-shedding including law gas pressure is causing further hardship for industrialist and public. He added that daily wagers would now have to face unemployment four days a week.

He pointed out that export consignments in the Christmas season are extremely important for textile as huge quantity of home textiles and garments are bought by European and American buyers to cater to the needs of retailers and cost-conscious customers who plan to buy their winter cloths during December. Foreign wholesalers and importers place bulk orders to fill their inventory racks in autumn season in anticipation of Christmas boom every year, he maintained.

Ch. Salamat said that buying orders for textile goods placed with Pakistani exporters are under manufacturing process but gas outage is hindering the completion and timely delivery of export consignments. Frequent increase in the prices of petroleum, electricity and gas were also adversely affecting the textile production and exports, he mentioned. He said that these hikes are spiking the cost of production, making textile exports costly and unacceptable to foreign buyers.