The Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) on Thursday reacted on the levy of fuel price adjustment, increasing power tariff and introduction of four days/week gas loadshedding only in Punjab and leaving the jobs of 15 million people at stake. MCCI President Anis'A Sheikh urged the government to review its decision of four-day gas closure for industry in Punjab.
During a meeting with the representatives of various industrial associations like Power looms, APBUMA etc, MCCI President Anis'A Sheikh warned of protests if the four-day gas closure decision was not reverted to two or three days a week. He said the four-day gas closure would damage the industry in Punjab, which was providing jobs to over 15 million people.
"The government would have to reset its priorities regarding provision of gas otherwise the situation would go out of hands", he added. He said it was the responsibility of the government to ensure level playing field for entire industry in Pakistan. He urged the Prime Minister to take notice of the situation.
He said even three days gas closure was intolerable in the ongoing economic scenario but its extension to four days a week would render millions of daily wagers jobless. He said around 40 percent of the industrial units in Punjab were running on gas and gas suspension means no production by almost half of the industry, which would cause a loss of millions of rupees to the exchequer.
He claimed the industrial units in Sindh were getting an almost uninterrupted supply except a two-to-three hour loadshedding. The industry was denied gas for 77 days in 2008-09, 100 days in 2009-10 and 160 days in 2010-11. "Over 72 percent hike in power tariff in the last five months has made the scenario more complex and complicated. To run the industry on alternative fuels, including diesel and furnace oil is not a viable proposition, he said. He said expeditious import of 500 million cubic feet gas per day would considerably overcome the gas shortage for the industry.