Senior Vice Chairman of Pakistan Soap Manufacturers Association (PSMA), Tariq Zakaria, has appealed to Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to take notice of 12-hour long electricity load shedding and closure of gas for soap industry.
He said that this was unfair and unjust load shedding of gas and electricity for industrial units causing big financial losses and large-scale unemployment, which will lead to a mental disturbance in society. He expressed concern over worst condition of electricity load shedding and closure of gas supply to soap industry in Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala and other parts of the country.
He pointed out that electricity load shedding has been reached up to 12 hours. "All of us know that soap industry has great importance in the field of cleaning and washing arena, equally important as textile industry, if the textile sector is exempted from gas load shedding, the soap sector should also be extended the same facility. This short of discriminatory attitude on the part of gas management authorities is regrettable and needs to be changed and amended immediately," he added.
On recent action of SNGPL, he said that soap industry falls under four days heavy load curtailment schedule on weekly basis, causing closure of soap manufacturing units, because they do not have any other alternative arrangement of energy to run their factories.
He urged the government to reverse the decision without any delay for the sake of economy. If regular supply of gas to industry is not possible, permission for duty free import of furnace oil be given to all soap manufacturing units.-PR