KARACHI: The Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) along with all industrial town associations, while once again asked Prime Minister Imran Khan and Energy Minister Hammad Azhar to stop Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) from taking anti-industry measures which would lead to complete suspension of all production activities.
President KCCI Muhammad Idrees, President Korangi Association of Trade & Industry Salman Aslam, President Site Association of Industry Abdul Rasheed, President North Karachi Association of Trade & Industry Faisal Moiz Khan, President Federal B. Area Association of Trade & Industry Haroon Shamsi, President Site Superhighway Association of Trade & Industry Aamir Lari, President Landhi Association of Trade & Industry Ajmal Afzal during a meeting held here on Friday expressed deep shock over recent measures taken by SSGC and said that these measures were beyond anyone’s understanding.
The higher authorities must take notice of SSGC’s recent measures as although talks over use of suction pumps took place at a meeting at Governor House and the entire industries agreed to support SSGC but it was never discussed during this meeting that SSGC would take affidavit for applying RLNG rates if the gas load exceeds the agreed usage.
They said that when Omer Ayub was the Energy Minister and Nadeem Babar was Advisor, a meeting was held in which SSGC’s authorities were also present and it was categorically stated that as security deposit has been taken it means that the load has been approved and the minutes of this meeting were also available. In the new machineries, the system for maintaining the load level was available but it was a matter of concerns that SSGC keeps on troubling the industrialists.
President KCCI along with all Presidents of Town Associations asked that how was it possible that when something has already been decided on several occasions, the factories were being closed and compelled to submit affidavits. They questioned that why such an unfair treatment was being done with the industries of Karachi.
They opined that SSGC was also responsible for contempt of court as the honorable high court has ordered a stay order yet the SSGC has been pressurizing the industrialists and urging them to give in writing that they will be withdrawing their case.
They requested Energy Minister Hammad Azhar to take notice that why SSGC was creating problems for the industrialists by saying that if industries remove suction pumps, gas will be given to them but whether suction pumps were being operated or not, 280mmcfd persists and it means that 18 percent shortage would continue. They said that factories were not operational due to unavailability of gas. As a result, reduction in exports from Karachi has been witnessed during the last six months and SSGC’s measures were extremely unacceptable hence they appealed Prime Minister Imran Khan to notice and refrain SSGC from taking these measures which were terribly affecting the production activities, besides directing the utility service provider to provide uninterrupted gas to industries as per requirement.
President KCCI and Presidents of All Industrial Town Associations also requested Energy Minister Hammad Azhar that industries of Karachi were the industries of Pakistan hence, he must play a role in ensuring uninterrupted gas supply to industries otherwise the country’s economy will suffer irrecoverable losses and the closure of industries would result in triggering a flood of massive unemployment, besides having a deep negative impact on the exports of the country.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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