The newly elected president of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Haji Mohammad Asif on Monday demanded uninterrupted supply of electricity and gas to the industrial units of NWFP saying the prevailing power crisis has paralysed industrial activities in the province.
Addressing his maiden press conference after assuming charge of his office, he lamented that despite assurance by the Chief Executive, Peshawar Electricity Supply Company (PESCO) Brigadier Sakhi Marjan, the utility company has failed in resolution of the problem.
He condemned the restrictions on wheat and flour supply from Punjab to NWFP, he said that the ban would further worsen the flour crisis and affect flour mills industry in the NWFP, where a 20-kg flour bag is available at Rs 460 in the open markets, some Rs 140 higher than being sold out in Punjab now-a-days.
Haji Muhammad Asif said that the ongoing electricity and gas load-shedding had rendered 240 industrial units closed in the province while the already declining flour mills industry of the province would be adversely affected due to ban on wheat from the Punjab province. "Our existing flour mills and the wheat quota being released to these mills by the government stocks would not meet the requirement of bulging population," he said and added that the rate differences regarding wheat flour would now be turned into flour scarcity in the province.
He feared that another severe atta crisis is in the offing within weeks if the federal government fails to adopt workable and uniform policy for the whole country where the common people are now standing in long queue to get a flour bag at reasonable rates. But, after a week they would face flour shortage at least in the NWFP.
Flanked by senior vice president of SCCI Haji Inayat and president Flour Mills Association Muhammad Sadiq, the SCCI president also ruled out the impression that wheat and flour is being smuggled to Afghanistan from the Frontier province. He said that the federal government had imposed 35 percent regulatory duty on the flour being exported to Afghanistan via land routes.
He said that due to wrong policy and miscalculation, the previous government allowed the wheat export at 230 dollar per metric ton but now importing wheat at 440 dollar per metric ton to meet the requirement till next wheat crops.
He claimed that gas supply to some 120 industrial units of the province had been disconnected while the prolonged and unscheduled electricity load shedding was also affecting the rest of the industries and other trade and economic activities. He appealed to the government to ensure supply of gas and electricity to the industrial units while lift the ban on wheat and flour to the province at once.
Speaking on the occasion, Mohammad Sadiq of the Flour Mills Association said that out of 200 flour mills, located in the NWFP, some 40 percent were running condition, obtaining small quantity of wheat quota from government stocks daily. He said that the total need of the province was 3.1 million tons annually wherein our province was producing some one million ton in the season while the rest is being purchased in the open markets of other provinces.
He said that the provincial government had a stock of 0.3 million ton for flour mills in crisis or special occasions. He said that provincial government was releasing 3,000 tons daily to the flour mills at the moment, which is quite insufficient.
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