All industrial units in the seven industrial estates of the city remained closed on Friday owing to Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) call of observing mourning say over the death of its workers in a bomb attack on Thursday. The industries have also remained closed on last Wednesday due to MQM's mourning day to register protest against a bomb blast near it election camp.
The industrialists urged the caretaker government to take stock of the prevailing situation and adopt appropriate measures to improve law and order condition. They asked the government to direct law enforcing agencies to keep an eye on movement of miscreants near elections camps of different political parties as well as asking Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) to provide uninterrupted power to industrial units and allow industry to operate on Sunday.
This week power supply to industries remands suspended on Monday to Friday for eight hours in a day which hurt industrial production activities. The industrial sector is paying 99 percent KESC bills regularly, but despite that the utility is carrying 8 hours long power supply suspension in industrial areas which would ultimately reduce KESC billing and push the company toward financial crisis.
The present two days closure of units and 8-hour long load shedding daily has almost broken the backbone of industrial sector and so far hundreds of millions of rupees and thousands of production hours have been lost, they added. Chairman Site Association of Industry (SAI), Dr Arshad Vohra said entire industrial units remained closed on Friday owing to MQM call to observe day of mourning.
He said there was no letup in load shedding and industrial units not operate in these conditions and they may go out of production. President, Site Superhighway Association of Industry (SSHAI), Aslam Rayaz said that no industrial units operated on Friday owning to workers' failure to report on duty.
Chairman, Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), Zubair Chhaya, said that there was no labour, no export, no transport and shipment of goods from the industrial estate. He urged the government to allow industries to operate on Sunday and direct SSGC to provide gas to meet production target. To a question, he said KESC was carrying out load shedding as usual.