The textile industry and exporters have expressed resentment against breach of agreement by gas company officials for gas load shedding for consecutive four days a week instead of three days and termed it a deliberate attempt to shatter the export-oriented textile industry and economic murder of the workers.
Talking to newsmen, Arif Tauseef, chairman of Pakistan Textile Exporters Association, said that gas administrators had promised to restrict gas load shedding for three days a week and the industrialists and exporters had accordingly scheduled their production and made commitments with foreign buyers to ship consignments on time. But, all of a sudden, the duration of gas load shedding has been increased arbitrarily for four days a week, without consultation, he said. This closure will cut down drastically the manufacturing of export goods, and exporters would not be able to fulfil their commitments to foreign buyers, he added.
December, being last month of calendar year, is very important in winter season cloths production and gas is imperative in production process. Gas officials are trying to stop the industrial wheel, rendering millions of workers jobless, he said.
The PTEA chairman said that industries play an important role in the economic growth of a country that earn foreign exchange and also provide jobs to a large number of professional, technical people and labour force but in the absence of basic factor of production like gas, industrial productivity and efficiency is greatly hampered. A shock has been given to the economy by stoppage gas and the industrial productivity has badly suffered, he added. Shortage of gas in the region is on rise that will result in the increase in number of more sick industries, whereas, Pakistan badly needs investment to run the wheel of the economy, he added.
He said that industrialists are playing a vital role in strengthening the national economy and if their business suffers, it will directly hit the economy. He urged the government to take urgent remedial measures to end the woes of industry. Criticising the mishandling and mismanagement of gas managers, he said that gas authorities can minimise the shortfall by spreading it among all regions in the country on equal basis.
The PTEA chairman said that Pakistani exports mostly depend on textiles and due to outage of gas supply; country's exports would not grow as targeted. He emphasised that the government should ensure supply of gas to industries to avoid troubles in the production process. He demanded uninterrupted gas supply to textile industry, being the most important economic post of the national economy.