Trade bodies including Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) have unanimously decided to stop paying federal government taxes as mark of protest against power outage for 22 hours in this export-oriented city and nucleus of cottage industries.
It was decided in an emergent meeting of all trade bodies presided by President SCCI Naeem Anwar Qureshi on Tuesday afternoon. The payment of federal government taxes would be stopped for three days from June 25 to 27 aimed at registering the protest against worst load shedding.
Some exporters informed the meeting that we are using diesel of Rs 15 lakh to 20 lakh monthly for the completion of foreign orders, which is heavy amount is extra financial burden of the exporters. Due to worst electricity load shedding the employers and employees were confronting serious financial constrains while thousands daily wagers had become jobless in this export city, they said.
They said that it was a planned conspiracy against the industrial sector of Punjab as a result of which industrial sector facing loss of billions and unfortunately the concerned authorities were reluctant to resolve this tedious issue. The exporters further added that government had totally failed in taking any practical step for generating electricity despite the knowing the gravity of this burning issue.
Due to the failure of the government the industrial sector of Punjab was facing serious set back and the concerned authorities are treating Punjab step motherly which totally unjust the alleged. The President SCCI Naeem Anwar while addressing the meeting disclosed that a meeting of chambers would be held on July 7th to review the electricity load shedding and to formulate a future strategy in this regards.
Speaking on the occasion, District Co-ordination Officer (DCO) Sialkot Zahid Saleem Gondal said that protest was the right of the people but it should be peaceful and damage free. It was our national and moral duty that we should protect the national property and to check the activities miscreants during the protest Zahid Gondal said. President District Bar Association (DBA) Shahid Mir and District Police Officer (DPO) Sialkot Afzal Ahmad Kausar also spoke on the occasion.
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