More than 100,000 power looms and other small scale textile ancillaries remained closed on the second consecutive day on Tuesday, while Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) announced that the gas shedding will be observed on November 26 and 27 in Faisalabad and Multan as per new schedule.
Hundred industrial workers most of them daily wagers staged protest demonstration in Faizabad, Ghulam Muhammadabad, Qadirabad and other industrial areas and staged whole day sit-in in front of the factory gates. They demanded that the government should take immediate step to revival the becoming sick industry and protect their livelihood.
Mian Ajmal Farooq, Acting Chairman, All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association said that the local industrialists are suffering huge productivity and supply losses as the manufacturing and processing process of cloth, bed sheet and fabrics were halted by gas shedding on one hand, while the circle of working capital of industrial sector has also been stuck up, on the other hand. Millions of metres of the cloth in process on calendaring, dyeing and printing machines is hanging half dyed, half coloured and part printed causing quality damages and delays to industrialists and exporters, he added.
He urged the government to preparing an emergent industry saving plan to overcome the complicated problems, including unfair doing business. In a press statement, Chaudhry Salamat Ali, Chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) North Zone said that industrialists and exporters are facing acute shortage of working capital and most of them not in a position to run their units due to high prices of inputs.
He demanded immediate end the gas and electricity load-shedding by exempting the export-oriented and labour intensive value added textile sector and ensuring smooth supply of raw material yarn and polyester yarn at low prices for survival of the industries and millions labourers' livelihood. The gas shedding schedule is ill-devised and is outcome of mismanagement on part of the gas authorities, he contended.
He said that the gas shedding for upcountry only as discriminative act. The shortage problem could have been minimised as the gas management been carried out across the board and for all regions on equal basis. Furthermore, part of supplies from Sui Southern Gas Company could have been diverted to Sui Northern Gas Company to minimise gas shedding in Punjab.
Chaudhry Salamat Ali, Chairman, (PHMA) North Zone said that the Pakistani textile exports were already under great pressure being the competitive in world markets and if the exporters could not meet their export consignments and supply deadlines, the buyers would be disappointed and Pakistani exporters would be thrown out of their hard won traditional markets.
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