Voicing deep concern over persisting water shortage, frequent power failure and low gas pressure in industrial areas, the newly-formed Karachi Industrial Forum (KIF), on Thursday, urged the prime minister and Sindh chief minister to direct the concerned departments to help resolve the issues on priority.
The forum also deplored that although a number of press conferences were organized and protest demonstrations were staged by industrialists to highlight the issues being confronted by them, neither the federal government nor the provincial government took any interest in resolving the issues and, as such, industrial production has been adversely affected.
This was stated by Federal B' Area Association of Trade and Industry's (FBAATI) president Jawed Ali Ghori at a press conference held here on Thursday under the aegis of KIF. The Forum's chairman Jawed Bilwani and presidents of North Karachi Association of Trade & Industry, Site Super Highway Association of Trade & Industry, Korangi Association of Trade & Industry, Bin Qasim Association of Trade & Industry and Landhi Association of Trade & Industry, Abdul Rasheed Fodderwala, Nisar Ahmed Khan, Rashid Ahmed Siddiqui, Rasheed Jan Muhammad and Hussain Kuli Khan, respectively, and senior vice presidents, vice presidents and members of all the seven industrial areas' associations were also present on the occasion.
Highlighting the issues being faced industrialists of the city, Jawed Ghori said these include acute water shortage, frequent power failure, low gas pressure, poor law and order, besides regular gas holidays and load-shedding. "Under such circumstances, none of the industries are working at their optimum capacity," he added.
He said that industrial areas of the city are, on the one hand, facing acute water shortage and, on the other, plenty of water was availably for water tankers for selling the same to industries at exorbitant rates.
He also regretted that all their requests to the top management of SSGC for improving gas supply situation in the industrial areas had fallen on deaf ears.
Accusing K-Electric of minting money through its policy of victimising consumers, he said that the power utility had been issuing power disconnection notices to the industrial consumers only to harass them.
Moreover, roads of industrial areas as well as those leading to and from markets/port/airport had been lying in bad shape since long, causing hindrance in the movement of goods, he said, adding that traffic jams and encroachments on roads have become a hallmark of the city owing to lack of co-ordination between traffic police and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.
Earlier, Jawed Bilwani, who is also president of Site Association of Industry, said that the KIF will serve as joint action platform of all trade associations of Karachi to highlight issues of the industries.
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