While criticising another five-day gas suspension to the industries in Punjab, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President, Shahzad Malik said the decision will hit exports, productivity and government revenues hard, thus Prime Minister should intervene and help ensure regular supply of gas to the industries.
LCCI President, in a statement on Saturday said the gas suspension plan would have a very negative impact on the entire industrial sector already passing through very challenging times due to acute shortage of electricity and bad law and order situation. He feared that not only the exports and productions would nose-dive but the graph of unemployment would also go up, as a large number of industrial units would be left with no other option but to close down their operation if the gas suspension plan is not shelved.
LCCI president questioned how the industry would manage export orders worth millions of dollars when there is no gas. What about thousands of daily wagers who have a single source of income, and above all, how the government would convince the local and foreign investors for investment when it is unable to manage the supply of gas to the existing industrial units. He was of the view that the decision would send a very negative signal to the foreign buyers. "Instead of coming up with some sort of relief package, the industry is being pushed to the wall. The gas curtailment or disconnection is tantamount to throttling the industry to death," he remarked.
Malik observed that it seems that some elements in the gas department are hatching conspiracies against Punjab to deprive it from the much-needed revenue. He further said he is unable to understand why the business community is not taken into confidence over the industry-related issues, adding that if SNGPL is facing some supply related issues they must bring them to the notice of the real stakeholders well ahead of time.
He opined that the solution of meeting demand of gas lies in importing Liquefied Natural Gas, thus the government should take steps to expedite the process for importing the gas, which gas currently meets more than 50 percent of primary energy requirements of Pakistan. In addition, the ever rising gap between the supply and demand is attributed to the rapidly increasing demand of natural gas by power plants and the industrial and commercial sector, in the wake of accelerated economic activity in the country and higher GDP growth projection, he maintained.