Hundreds of workers of value-added textile sector on Monday staged a demonstration on Khanewal Road and they blocked the road. They were protesting against the suspension of gas supply for the last 17 days. Resultantly, the industrial sector of Southern Punjab has come to a halt as gas supply has been suspended for indefinite period.
While the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) spokesman said that the supply has been suspended for indefinite period due to winter season. The authorities apprised that the decision to halt gas supply was taken after the difference between demand and supply was widened. Crises have hit the industrial zone as seventeen days have already passed without gas and the production process in textile mills has reduced to nil.
Some factories have resorted to utilise woods as fuel and are running boilers by burning them as fuel. However, most of the factories are not functional for the past eight days that has adversely affected the daily-wage workers.
The workers as well as industrialists in the city had strongly resented forced holidays due to week-long suspension of gas supply since December 8. The workers said that they have been thrown out of employment, as the industry cannot run without gas supply, which remains suspended for the last eight days.
Industrialists in the other hand complained that they are finding it difficult to meet their export orders as a result of suspension of gas supply that is incurring huge losses, while the country is also losing much-needed foreign exchange. The industrialists further said that industries were already running on 30 percent of their installed capacity due to six hours loadshedding of electricity and this suspension of gas supply for the last one-week has rendered the industrial wheel to a complete halt.
Earlier, a protest meeting was held in APBUMA house where Khwaja Muhammad Younus, Chairman All Pakistan Bedsheets and Upholstery Manufacturers Association said that suspension of gas to the textile sector for indefinite period of time has literally paralysed it leaving hundreds of thousands of workers unemployed.
He was addressing a meeting of APBUMA specially called to discuss the impact of forced gas suspension. Khawaja Younus said that the textile sector is entrenched owing to multifaceted crisis and will have the toll on all the social and economic conditions of the country.
He was of the view that the foreign reserves of the country are already under severe pressure as the payment has to make to IMF and country is solely relying on exports and remittances to meet the requirements. "It is clear in case of shutdown of textile sector, we will not be able to meet the export orders on time which means fewer dollars in terms of export realisations", he added. The Chairman also commented that the unemployed resulting from closure of textile units all across the Punjab will create law and order situation as well as the people will be left with no option other than robberies so settle their financial needs.
S Muhammad Aasim Shah former chairman of APBUMA said that we will not be in a position to take benefit of duty free access granted by the EU if the current circumstance prevails for the long. Therefore, the government should prioritize the textile sector for the supply of gas as it not only will create economic activity but defuse the anxiety crippling among the people. He was of the view that we will not be able to achieve our export target and will lose the momentum we have gained in exports.
Younus said that we recently had a blow due to strike of transport and a large number of consignments were stuck and now the gas has rendered our production to zero as manufacturing was already at 30 percent capacity. He requested the government and department concerned to sense the gravity of the situation as it becomes too late to handle. Mian Tanvir Sheikh said that Multan's industrial sector was being treated step-motherly.
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