Road blockades hit industrial production

Non-availability of public transport in the wake of blockade of several major thoroughfares by workers and supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday adversely affected industrial production in all the industrial estates of the city. Industrialists said that majority of industrial workers whether using public or their own transport could not manage to attend to their duties due to blockade of roads at various places.
The public transport including buses, mini buses and even goods carriers stayed off the roads as a large number of PTI protesters had assembled on various busy roundabouts and intersections to stage sit-ins. Attendance in private and government offices also remained thin owing to non-availability of public transport. Even the employees having their own could not manage to reach their offices as the protesters, who had assembled on various main thoroughfares, did not allow motorists to pass through such roads.
North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry's (NKATI) President Abdul Rashid Fodderwala said around 50 per cent industrial units in North Karachi industrial estate remained closed as large number of employees could not manage to reach their factories. He said that shipment of exportable items and upcountry movement of goods also remained suspended due to non-availability of goods transport.
Replying a question, he said it was too early to say how much losses were suffered by industrialists due to the PTI protest. Site Association of Industry's (SAI) Chairman Jawed Bilwani said that almost all 50 per cent industrial units remained closed in the Site industrial area. He said that majority of workers could not manage to reach their factories because of the road blockades by protesters.
He regretted that at a time when the country was passing through a critical juncture because of poor law and order situation, inflated utility bills, alarming rate of unemployment, the off and on political protests will paralyse the entire system. The SAI chief said that leaders of political parties, who are well-educated, should register their protests by wearing black armbands. He said that industries of the Site industrial area remained closed in the last three days due to persisting low gas pressure and on Friday these industries had to be shut down because of roads blockades by the workers of a political party. Korangi Association of Trade and Industry's (KATI) former chairman M Zubair Chhaya said that a large number of industrial units of Korangi industrial estate remained closed on Friday owing to road blockades by the PTI workers.
Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industry's (FBAATI) former chairman Masroor Ahmed Alvi said that around 50 per cent industrial production suffered due to thin attendance. He said that attendance in the industrial units of F B Area industrial estate was between 30 and 40p. He said that shipment of goods was also badly affected due to PTI workers' sit-ins on major thoroughfares of the city.