Non-members of Aptma deprived of gas: Apta

Chairman All Pakistan Textile Association (Apta), Adil Mehmood has said that a group of 15 dominating officers of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) having their own textile mills and CNG stations and office bearers of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) are getting gas without any disruption.
He claimed that non-members of the Aptma were deprived of gas and "this elite class" is having a regular supply of gas or "minimised span of gas cut".
He said that the Prime Minister had ordered an additional supply of gas to textile spinning mills. "Since the SNGPL has managed gas cuts in liaison with Aptma and because of the availability of discretion for allocation of supply of gas to spinning mills, the association's office bearers have given priority to their own spinning mills," he added.
Mehmood said that spinners mostly having single units had formed separate and independent trade body called the All Pakistan Textile Association to protect the interests of the spinning sector without bias and discrimination.
He said that the textile spinning was a main sector of the industry and currently was in a severe crisis because of power and gas cuts and short production of cotton.
Mehmood said that the Apta had also written letters to the President, Prime Minister and all concerned authorities to maintain equality and avoid discrimination in order to resolve the issue amicably.
When contacted, SNGPL Managing Director, Abdul Rashid Lone was unavailable for comment. A woman attending the phone said, "he is in the office and his mobile is at home." On contacting Lone's office number, an operator said the he was out of the office.
Aptma Chairman, Akbar Sheikh told Business Recorder that 1,000 textile mills were non-operational because of lack of gas. He said that the SNGPL was reluctant to supply gas to the textile industry despite the Prime Minister's assurances.
He said that textile mills owners were not in a position to pay their bills and loans to banks apart from taxes. The SNGPL on Monday in a press release said, it had resumed 15 MMCFD gas supply to a group of textile units under the Aptma in Lahore and 15 MMCFD gas to sizing, printing and finishing mills in Faisalabad. The release also said that it had started restoring gas to 1,250 small industrial.