Second consecutive day: 600 textile industries, 380 CNG stations remain closed

Over 600 textile industries and 380 CNG stations remained closed in Faisalabad region on second consecutive day, under ongoing new gas shedding schedule, here on Friday Industrialists, textile exporters and industrial workers continued their protest against gas loadshedding and demanded of the government to end it in order to save sinking textile industry, which feeds millions of families.
On the other hand, low gas pressure also hitting the domestic and commercial consumers hard and people were facing many problems. Commenting over the prevailing situation, Chief Co-ordinator and former Chairman of Pakistan Hosiery manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) North Zone Chaudhry Salamat Ali strongly reacted against the discrimination of gas supply to industry in Punjab. Four-day a week gas loadshedding in Punjab is a conspiracy to demoralise millions of people, he said, adding that gas suspension was a dirty game being played to shut value-added textile sector.
He demanded of the government to take right steps to save the "Future of Industry and Future of Pakistan". In a protest meeting of 'Industry Bachaoo Movement', Qamar Aftab, Vice Chairman PHMA North Zone, Mian Aftab Ahmad, Chairman All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association, Rana Arif Tauseef, Chairman Pakistan Textile Exporters Association, Imran Mahmood, Vice Chairman All Pakistan Bedsheet and Upholstery Manufacturers Association, Muzammil Sultan President and Rehan Naseem Bharara, Vice President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Chaudhry Mushtaq Ali Cheema, former Federal Textile Minister, Chaudhry Muhammad Siddique, Muhammad Yousaf, Mian Tahir Ishaq Bharara, Mian Zahid Aslam and Syed Omer Nazar Shah, leading Industrialists said that the government should take notice of horrible situation and demanded that SNGPL should restore gas supply on war footing.
He further said that acute gas shortage has ravaged the industry in Punjab while electricity shortage was adding salt to the miseries of industrialists and industrial workers. They observed that Punjab was being treated unfairly with regard to supply of gas, which was badly affecting the value added textile industry and work force including millions of daily wagers. All the CNG stations in Faisalabad region have been shut for three days due to extraordinarily low gas pressure that badly affected the domestic and commercial consumers.