Industrialists concerned over production losses due to gas suspension

KARACHI: Industrialists from Landhi, Korangi and Bin Qasim have expressed deep concern over colossal production losses of billions of rupees per day due to 12 hours gas supply suspension in these industrial areas of the city.

They said it was a general practice all over the world that utility services providers held consultative meeting with stakeholders before taking any major decisions. "In Pakistan it is reverse and utility companies take decisions in isolation and did not bother about its consumers."

They were of the view that SSGC and KESC must hold consultative meeting with its consumers before taking any major decision such as going for load shedding in industrial and commercial areas.

The owners of industrial units consuming gas in bulk claimed that they were suffering huge production losses and labour including daily wage workers sitting idle had no work to be carried out owing to12-hour long gas supply suspension. They said industries already facing 24 hours gas suspension on Sunday for the last coupled of months, adding that suspension of gas supply had hit 33 captive power units and numbers of industrial boilers in Korangi area alone.

A textile mill owner said that textile processing was a continuous process, while gas supply suspension broke down the process due to which clothes were destroyed, which raised various quality issues, they said, and demanded continuous gas supply to processing industries to enable the industry to fulfil its orders and to save its precious raw material from going waste.

Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (Kati) Chairman Ehtishamuddin said industries suffered huge production losses due to suspension of gas supply for 12 hours on Friday from 7 am to 7 pm.

He said that SSGC claimed that gas supply suspension had been carried out as force measure due to some fault which occurred at gas field, adding gas supply suspension also created power supply suspension to some extent.

Mian Muhammed Ahmed, Patron in-chief; Usman Ahmed, President; Abdul Rasheed Jan Mohammed, Vice President; Shakil Ashfaq, Chairman Law Committee; Farhan Ansari, Chairman Law & Order Advisory Committee along with Managing Committee of Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry (BQATI) expressed their serious concerns over Friday's 12-hour gas shut down notice to Bin Qasim Industrial Zones.

BQATI President Usman Ahmed said the natural gas provided by the SSGC was the major source of energy for industries. "In the past we have done our best to respond positively and responsibly to SSGC requests of cut down in consumption in view of larger interest of the country till January 31, but now the industries were shaken due to sudden and unprecedented gas shut down announcement, which is not at all justified, understood."

He elaborated that the situation, unfortunately, had now been worsened, as frequent gas shut down, PVMA and oil tanker association's strike and deteriorated law and order situation of Bin Qasim Industrial Zone had caused huge production losses to industries which were already besieged by the law and order crisis in the city and floods in Sindh.

Vice President Abdul Rasheed Jan Mohammed was of the view that the industries particularly the edible oil processing refineries, solvent extraction plant and soap manufacturing and other processing industries needed minimum 10-12 hours to start and shut their operation down, were in miserable condition. Industries which were on captive power and without alternate arrangement had no solution but to close their operation ultimately.

"If the Karachi industries were not supplied proper, adequate and full pressure gas, 50 percent of contribution in exports to Pakistan will be ruined, while huge number of male and female workers would become jobless."

Mian Ahmed informed that Bin Qasim Industrial Zones were the backbone of the economy, adding the industrial zone was spread around 25,000 acres where around 150,000 workforces were employed.  He said "at a time when industrial production needs to be boosted to help improve the economy, incidents like shut down will act as a serious deterrent to local as well as foreign investors."

BQATI Managing Committee stressed over the need to stop this practice immediately in the larger interest of national economy and demanded to take measures to ensure consistent supply to keep industries running.