Industrial activities limping back to normalcy

After remaining paralysed for two days because of the widespread violence in reaction to the murder of MQM's MPA Raza Haider on Monday, the industrial activities started to limp back to normalcy on Thursday. Some workers were able to reach the industrial area despite facing problems in commuting. The presence of public transports on the city's roads was next to none, as the transporters remained wary of the fluid situation.
Chairman Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) Razzak Hashim Paracha said that in early hours, the attendance in the industrial units was around fifty percent, however after the Zohar prayers, the attendance dropped sharply due to unknown reasons.
Commenting on the pace of export shipments, he said the export shipments from the industrial area was around 20 to 25 percent due to the poor availability of trucks and trawlers. Paracha said the government should take bold decisions to control the law and order situation.
Chairman Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industry (FBATI) Shahid Ismail said that around 70 to 80 percent industrial units in the Federal B Area ceased to operate on Thursday because of a shortage in the availability of public transports. He said those industries where workers have reported on duty also remained closed due to a shortage of raw material.
The transportation of raw material from the ports and upcountry to the industrial units remained paralysed, as trucks and trawlers were not available. Furthermore he said the export-oriented sector had been badly affected, as export shipments from the Karachi industrial areas could not be made to the Karachi Port and the Port Qasim. The F.B. Area has over 2,000 units in which 150,000 to 200,000 people are working on daily wages, contractual and permanent basis, said Ismail.
Commenting on the losses suffered during the ongoing violence in the city, Chairman Site Association of Industry (SAI) Saleem Parekh said, according to an estimate the industry has suffered around Rs 4 billion production losses in the site industrial area alone, with the government losing around Rs 2.5 billion revenue.