Punjab-based textile mills: Minister saves one million jobs by revising gas supply schedule, says APTMA chief

Chairman APTMA Punjab S M Tanveer has said that the Federal Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources has saved one million jobs of the Punjab-based textile industry by revising gas supply schedule to 8pm to 2am during the holy month of Ramazan.
He said APTMA leadership was grateful to the Federal Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, State Minister Jam Kamal Khan, Advisor to Petroleum Minister Zahid Muzaffar, Secretary Petroleum & Natural Resources Abid Saeed, Additional Secretary Naeem Malik and MD SNGPL Arif Hameed for realising the plight of the Punjab-based textile industry and its workers with the imminent closure of mills during the Holy month of Ramadan.
He said the APTMA delegation, led by the group leader Gohar Ejaz, Senior Vice Chairman APTMA Seth Akbar, Wisal Monnoo and himself had called on the Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources in follow up of an emergent general body meeting of APTMA Punjab against the gas supply schedule of 9am to 3pm.
He said the response of the government functionaries was highly encouraging and positive, as they understood the viewpoint of APTMA leadership and changed the gas supply schedule to 8:00 pm - 2:00 am daily for the textile industry Captive Power/Processing use during Ramazan. It was agreed during the meeting that the SNGPL would upload the revised gas load management schedule on its website accordingly, he added.
S M Tanveer said the APTMA delegation told the federal Minister that it was unfair to lay off a large number of textile workers during Ramazan simply because of the change in gas supply schedule. The delegation further pointed out that gas supply during the day hours, in the presence of electricity supply, was useless. He said the closure of mills was also detrimental to the exports of the country, especially when Pakistan was making sincere efforts to realise full potential of the market access facility from the EU.
Chairman APTMA Punjab said a prudent decision of the Federal Petroleum Minister had avoided closing down of two shifts at the mills and the revised gas supply schedule would enable the mills to continue operations for 20 hours a day in combination with the electricity supply.
According to him, the affordability and availability of energy, both electricity and gas, has become a major problem for the Punjab-based textile mills as the industry cannot afford to pay additional Rs 80 billion on account of energy differential with other provinces.
Already, he said, a good number of textile mills on independent feeders had been closed and another 56 mills were on the verge of it due to the electricity loadshedding. "We do hope that the Ministry for Water & Power will exempt the prime users from electricity loadshedding in the larger interest of textile workers and textile exports," he added.
Chairman APTMA Punjab has expressed deep gratitude to the Federal Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and his team and further expressed the hope that the government would ensure uninterrupted energy supply both for the prime users as well as the captive power based mills for growth in investment, employment and exports of the country.