Chairman Save Pakistan Industry Forum Gohar Ejaz has said that textile, fertiliser and Independent Power Plants (IPPs) would close down operations in case of government failed to refresh its policy on gas distribution that may lead to protests by 10 million workers of these industries.
In a press conference at the Aptma Punjab office, he said the government should facilitate the CNG sector and reduce petrol price to Rs 80 per liter, as why the motorcyclists are paying high price when car owners are fuelling cheap fuel to their cars. However, he made clear in the same breath that supply of CNG to the public transport should continue through a change in policy on use of gas in the country.
He further said that the electricity bill will be reduce by Rs 3 per unit in case 1,600MW closed capacities of IPPs are operational with supply of gas. Also, he said, the country would earn foreign exchange with exponential growth in textile exports and farmers would get cheap urea in fertiliser industry is operational. He said the government should protect the CNG operators but also look for interest of billions dollars industries including textile, fertiliser and IPPs. He said street politics was not the solution, as the industrial work force would not differentiate between rich man and poor man's cars once he is on roads like CNG workers. He said there was no justification in Rs 50 billion subsidy on gas at the loss of Rs 300 billion.
Gohar said the Parliament should come up with a solution as it can keep the CNG operators profitable. He lamented that the government was talking of importing electricity from Iran and India when 2,000MW IPPs units are closed down in the country due to short of gas.