Suspension of gas supply: MCCI terms government decision as 'unethical, unconstitutional'

Southern Punjab industrialists on Friday turned down the government's decision to stop gas supply to the industry for two days a week as an "unethical and unconstitutional" step, aimed at destroying the manufacturing sector in the province already hampered by the ongoing militancy.
The prime body of the industrialists and businessmen in the southern Punjab, Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) harshly reacted to the government's decision to suspend gas supply to the industrial sector for two days a week from November 15 to March 15 to save enough gas for domestic consumption.
The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), as per the Federal Cabinet decision, will undertake gas load-management in the winter season by dividing the industrial sector into four zones in areas, including southern Punjab under its management. MCCI President Asrar Ahmed Awan said in a statement that the decision would play havoc with the manufacturing sector in the province and the general public would be forced to bear the ultimate burden of the unjustified decision of the Federal government.
He said: "Only 26 percent of the industry in the southern Punjab is functional with half of its production capacity due to six to eight-hour power loadshedding and militancy. Some 1,610 units of the 2,200 in the province have been shut down and only 590 of these units are running with half of their productions.
"Now half of the remaining units would be closed down when the gas supply would be stopped to them," he said. Asrar Awan said that the industry in the southern Punjab could not afford any holiday and gas or power supply cut and it had to run seven days a week as it had already been the worst hit by the energy crisis and the militancy.
The MCCI President said the entire industrial gas load in the province was about 20mmcf per day as against the 150mmcfd gas consumption of the zone and even the domestic consumers should give sacrifice for the industry to prop up the declining economy of the troubled province.
He termed the government's decision unethical and unconstitutional, and said that only Dhodhak gas field was producing 150mmcf gas per day, which had been put through the national grid and the province was not being provided any of its indigenous gas that was a sheer violation of the Constitution.-PR