Gas supply to more than 600 industrial units in Faisalabad Region remained suspended on fourth consecutive day on Wednesday under the Gas Load Management (GLM) schedule, while 100,000 power looms remained closed since last month due to non-availability of sizing beam of yarn from Sizing Industries, piled up huge stocks of grey cloth in textile processing and printing mills and non-payment and non-lifting from exporters.
Four days gas shedding (from January 23 to January 26) in third week of January 2011, turning out to be tough financial challenge for daily wagers, while in yarn and cloth markets, about one billion rupee trading amount have been defaulted due to stoppage of money circle.
Following the gas schedule of 96 hours, Salamat Ali, Chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) North Zone said that the textile production activities in more than 600 export oriented and labour intensive value added textile industries once again came to complete standstill.
Over 400,000 labourers, most of them daily wages suffered from gas-shedding as they have been left penniless, struggling to generate income from other ways. He expressed that four to six days' suspension of gas in a week had badly affected the production of export items and textile industry is under sheer pressure. It may be recalled that the directives of PM Yousuf Raza Gilani and CM Shahbaz Sharif regarding gas supply become fruitless, he added.
In a press statement, Khuwaja Shahid Razzaq Sikka, President Anjuman-e-Tajran Faisalabad City said that the industry of Punjab had badly suffered due to massive gas shedding during last three months. The industrial activities were already frozen because of mismanagement and unfriendly course of action of the present regime while the worst gas shortage throwing more fuel to the fire, he added. Sikka pointed out that the Punjab Chief Minister contacted Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani who announced 5-day gas supply to the Punjab but implementation of decision was not seemed.