Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) authorities have planned to conduct gas outages four days in a week and announced that the ongoing gas loadshedding would continue till Monday (tomorrow) 6am under the gas load management plan. Industrialists and exporters of the textile sector have announced to launch protest after Ashura against anti-Punjab policy of the government.
Meanwhile, gas outages for the industrial sector and CNG stations was continued for third consecutive day, here on Saturday, resultantly 600 industrial units were not in position to maintain its production as well as export consignment. Transporters were fleecing the commuters by charging more than 25 percent extra fare during the closure of CNG stations as well as fresh increase in petroleum prices. Commenting over the latest situation, Chaudhry Salamat Ali, Chief Co-ordinator and former Chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (North Zone) strongly condemned the new gas outages of four days in a week and future planning of 90 days gas loadshedding.
He said that the four days gas and power outages had negative impact on the industrial sector plus national economy, which was striving to compete in the international market. He pointed out that the textile industry was denied gas for 77 days in 2008-09, followed by 100 days in 2009-10 and 165 days in 2010-11. The unavailability of gas was limiting capacity utilisation, viability and growth of export oriented and value added textile industry, he added. He pointed out that the gas supply cut for 185 days in 2010-11 has affected 50 percent capacity of the textile industry in Punjab and created joblessness and poverty.